Blutwurst

Ingredients

To fry

• 500 gblutwurst, bought, cut in 1.5 cm slices
• 1 tbsplard or oil

Himmel und Erde

• 600 gfloury potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 400 gcooking apples, peeled and cubed
• 50 gbutter
• salt and black pepper
• a grating of nutmeg

Onions

• 2onions, sliced into rings
• 1 tbsplard or oil
• 1 tspsugar
• 1 tbspcider vinegar

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water. After ten minutes add the apple cubes and cook a further ten, until both are soft. Adding the apple later stops it collapsing entirely — you want it soft but still present.
2. Drain well, return to the pan, and mash roughly with the butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Leave it coarse; this is heaven and earth, not a purée.
3. Fry the onion rings in lard over medium heat for 10 minutes until deep golden, sprinkle over the sugar and let it caramelise, then splash in the vinegar and take off the heat.
4. Heat the remaining lard in a wide pan over medium-low heat and lay in the blutwurst slices. Fry for two to three minutes a side until crisp and dark.
5. Turn each slice once only, and gently, with a fish slice. Blutwurst holds together while it is cold and firm and falls apart once it is hot — the more you move it, the more of it ends up as crumbs in the pan.
6. Serve the slices on the mash with the caramelised onions piled over the top.

Technique

• Medium-low heat and one turn. This is the entire skill of frying blutwurst.
• If your slices are falling apart, they are either too thin or too warm. Cut them thick and straight from the fridge.
• The vinegar in the onions is not optional — the dish is very rich and it needs the acid.

Substitutions

• Boudin noir, morcilla or black pudding, all cooked the same way.
• Bacon fat instead of lard, which suits it.
• Pears in place of apples, which is done in some regions.

Variations

• Grilled rather than fried, which holds the slices together better.
• Sliced cold onto rye bread with mustard, without any cooking at all.

History

A dish of the winter pig slaughter across Germany; in the Rhineland it is served as Himmel und Erde, with apple sauce and mashed potato.

Frequently asked questions

What is Blutwurst?

Blutwurst is a charcuterie & cured from Germany: blood sausage fried and eaten with apple and onion or on rye bread. A dish of the winter pig slaughter across Germany; in the Rhineland it is served as Himmel und Erde, with apple sauce and mashed potato.

How long does Blutwurst take to make?

Blutwurst takes 15 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Blutwurst?

Yes, within limits. Boudin noir, morcilla or black pudding, all cooked the same way. Bacon fat instead of lard, which suits it. Pears in place of apples, which is done in some regions.

What is the most important thing to get right in Blutwurst?

Medium-low heat and one turn. This is the entire skill of frying blutwurst.