Debreziner

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide saucepan or shallow pot (for simmering)
• •Heavy pan or cast-iron skillet (28cm)
• •Fine box grater or Microplane (for Kren)
• •Tongs

Instructions

1. 1

   Score the Debreziner

   Lay the sausages on a board and make three or four shallow diagonal cuts along each one, just through the casing, not deep into the meat. Turn them and score the other side so you get a crosshatch pattern. This isn't decoration. The cuts let heat reach the center evenly, and when the sausage hits a hot pan later, those scored edges will blister and curl open, giving you more crisp surface area. A Debreziner with a smooth, unbroken casing is a missed opportunity.

   Use a sharp knife and a light hand. You're cutting through the casing, not halfway into the sausage. If you see meat bulging through the cuts, you've gone too deep.
2. 2

   Simmer gently

   Bring a wide pan of water to a gentle simmer. Not a boil. A simmer, where a few lazy bubbles break the surface every couple of seconds. Slide the scored Debreziner in and let them heat through for eight to ten minutes. The sausages are already smoked and cooked, so you're warming them to the center, not cooking them raw. If you let the water boil, the casings will burst, the fat will render out, and you'll lose exactly the juiciness that makes a good Debreziner worth eating.

   Gretel always said you can tell the water is right when it looks like it's thinking about boiling but hasn't committed. If you see rolling bubbles, pull the heat back.
3. 3

   Sear for color

   Lift the sausages out of the water and pat them dry with a clean cloth. Heat the lard or oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. When the fat shimmers, lay the Debreziner in and let them sear without moving for about two minutes per side. You want the scored edges to blister and brown, the paprika in the casing darkening to a deep, almost coppery red. The kitchen will smell like a Würstelstand at eleven o'clock on a Friday night. That's exactly right.

   Lard gives you the most authentic flavor here. If you can get good pork lard from a butcher, use it. Sunflower oil works but it won't taste like a Würstelstand.
4. 4

   Grate the fresh Kren

   Peel the horseradish root and grate it finely on the smallest holes of a box grater or a Microplane. Work quickly. Fresh horseradish is fierce the moment you grate it and loses its bite within the hour. Toss the shreds immediately with the white wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of sugar. The vinegar stabilizes the heat so it doesn't fade before it reaches the table. Your eyes will water. That's how you know it's fresh.

   Don't substitute jarred horseradish if you can avoid it. The difference between freshly grated Kren and the stuff in a jar is the difference between a sharp conversation and a vague memory of one.
5. 5

   Warm the Semmel

   Split the Semmel in half and warm them briefly in the oven or in the pan you just used for the sausages. You want them warm and slightly crisp on the cut side, not toasted hard. A Semmel should still give when you press it. If you can't find proper Semmel, use the best crusty white rolls your bakery sells. What you're after is a roll with a thin crust and a soft, open crumb that can soak up mustard and sausage fat without falling apart.

6. 6

   Serve Würstelstand style

   Set out the seared Debreziner on a board or plate. Put both mustards in small dishes alongside. Pile the fresh Kren in its own bowl. Lay the Pfefferoni out where people can reach them. Set the warm Semmel in a basket or on the board. This is not a composed plate. This is a spread. Everyone reaches, tears bread, dips in mustard, takes a bite of sausage, follows it with a smear of Kren if they're brave. The sharp mustard goes with the paprika. The sweet mustard softens everything. The Kren makes your eyes water and the Pfefferoni finishes the job. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Find a good butcher or Central European deli for your Debreziner. The supermarket versions are often too fine-ground and bland. What you want is a coarsely ground sausage with visible paprika specks in a natural casing that snaps when you bite through it. If you're in Austria, any Fleischhauer will have them. Outside Austria, look for Hungarian or Polish butcher shops.
• •Two mustards is not optional. Austrians serve scharfer Senf (sharp, hot mustard, similar to English mustard) and süßer Senf (sweet, grainy mustard, like a Bavarian Weisswurstsenf) side by side. You need both. The interplay between the two is half the experience.
• •Debreziner are also wonderful split lengthwise and grilled cut-side down until the exposed meat gets a proper crust. This is how many Würstelstände serve them and it gives you even more surface for browning. If you have a grill going, try it this way.
• •A cold Bier is the correct drink. Not wine, not water. This is Würstelstand food and it wants a crisp lager next to it.

Advance Preparation

• •Debreziner keep well in the fridge for up to a week unopened, or three days once the package is opened. They're smoked and cured, so they're forgiving.
• •Grate the Kren no more than thirty minutes before serving. Fresh horseradish loses its pungency quickly, and the whole point is that sinus-clearing sharpness. The vinegar slows the fade, but time still wins eventually.
• •Both mustards obviously keep indefinitely. If you're making sweet mustard from scratch (which is a beautiful project for another afternoon), it improves after three days in the fridge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 265g)