Some recipes arrive in my kitchen like little journeys: they smell of distant places, tell traditions that do not directly belong to me, and yet they find room among my cooking habits as if they had always been there. This is the case with homemade pork sausages, the recipe I chose for this appointment with The Club of 27, taken from the book Favorite Food at Home by Rachel Allen. A book I love for its ability to make Irish cooking accessible, warm, domestic, never distant. A cuisine that talks about family, cold seasons, simple but flavorful tables.
In the original version, Rachel accompanies her sausages with colcannon, an Irish mashed potato enriched with cabbage, and with a sweet, velvety apple sauce. These are two preparations deeply linked to winter, perfect for cold days and for dishes that warm the heart.
But when I began to work on this recipe, it was April: the light was different, clearer, softer; the desire for overly heavy dishes began to give way to something simpler and lighter. So I decided to reinterpret the side dish, keeping the spirit of the recipe but adapting it to the season.
I therefore chose to prepare a classic mashed potato, soft and creamy, without cabbage, letting its simplicity support the dish. Instead of the apple sauce, I opted for an onion slowly sautéed until sweet, soft, and slightly caramelized. A choice that still recalls the original balance between sweetness and savoriness, but with a more springlike profile and a texture that pairs wonderfully with handmade sausages.
The sausages, then, are the true soul of this recipe: skinless, hand-shaped, imperfect and therefore irresistible. A simple, almost therapeutic gesture that takes you back to the authentic manual work of traditional cooking. No special equipment is needed, no complex techniques: just good meat, breadcrumbs, an egg, some fresh herbs and the willingness to get your hands dirty.
It’s a type of cooking that belongs to me, that makes me feel at home even when I prepare a dish that comes from another tradition.
The Club of 27, every month, is the perfect opportunity to break the routine, discover new recipes and share a piece of the world through food. This time I traveled to Ireland, but I brought with me a version that also speaks of my kitchen, my season and my way of interpreting dishes. I hope it can warm your table too.
Let’s also prepare a dessert to serve to our family and friends.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Low cost
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Irish
- Seasonality: Winter, Spring
- Energy 980.54 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 86.92 (g) of which sugars 21.93 (g)
- Proteins 41.17 (g)
- Fat 52.65 (g) of which saturated 17.35 (g)of which unsaturated 10.00 (g)
- Fibers 11.31 (g)
- Sodium 216.18 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 600 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Homemade Pork Sausages with Colcannon and Apple Sauce
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 lb potatoes (floury, washed)
- 1 lb green cabbage (without outer leaves)
- 1 cup milk (warm)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 Renetta apple (large)
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Tools
- Potato ricer
Preparation of Homemade Pork Sausages with Colcannon and Apple Sauce
Mix all the ingredients except the oil and season with salt and pepper.
Fry a small piece of the mixture to check the seasoning.Divide the mixture into 12 portions and shape into sausages. Place them on a baking tray or a plate and set aside.
Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender. When cooked, drain them, simply crush them by cutting them in half leaving the skin on and collect the flesh in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup (55 g) of butter and mix thoroughly.
Meanwhile, prepare the cabbage: cut it into quarters, remove the core and slice it thinly. In a saucepan heat 2 tbsp (30 g) of butter with the water, add the cabbage and cook for five to six minutes.
Combine the cabbage with the potatoes, add the warm milk and the parsley (keeping a little milk aside).
Season with salt and pepper and mix until you obtain a creamy mixture.Put the apple in a small saucepan with the water. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apple falls apart. Add sugar to taste.
Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and gently fry the sausages for 12–15 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Serve them with the colcannon and the apple sauce.
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