Leverworst (Dutch Liver Sausage)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor or meat grinder
• •Two small loaf tins or heatproof straight-sided jars
• •Deep roasting pan for water bath
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Soften the onion

   Melt the butter in a small pan and cook the onion gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned. Brown onion brings a roasted note that fights the liver; soft onion disappears into the sausage and does its quiet work.

2. 2

   Soak the crumbs

   Put the breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl and let them stand for 10 minutes. This little panade, bread soaked in milk, is what keeps the leverworst tender instead of rubbery. Old household cooking knew these tricks long before anyone gave them French names.

3. 3

   Grind the meat

   Chill the liver, pork belly, and pork shoulder until very cold, then pulse them in a food processor with the softened onion and soaked crumbs until you have a coarse, sticky paste. Stop before it becomes perfectly smooth. A little texture tells you this came from a kitchen, not a tube with a label.

4. 4

   Season and test

   Mix in the salt, white pepper, mace, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and parsley. Fry a teaspoon of the mixture in a small pan until cooked through, then taste it. It should be gently liver-rich, clearly seasoned, and warmer from spice than from heat. Adjust now, because once it is poached, the argument is over.

   Do not taste the raw mixture. Liver sausage is made from raw pork and liver, and scholarship is no excuse for poor hygiene.
5. 5

   Pack the loaves

   Butter two small loaf tins or straight-sided heatproof jars. Pack in the mixture firmly, pressing out air pockets, then cover tightly with buttered parchment and foil. Air pockets become grey little holes in the slice; harmless, yes, but untidy in the way only sausage can be untidy.

6. 6

   Poach gently

   Set the tins or jars in a deep roasting pan and pour in hot water to come halfway up their sides. Bake at 150C for about 1 hour, until the centre reaches 72C on a thermometer. Keep the water below a boil. Leverworst wants a bath, not a storm.

7. 7

   Cool and weight

   Lift the loaves from the water bath, leave them covered, and cool for 30 minutes. Place a light weight on top, such as another small tin, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. The chill firms the fat, settles the spice, and turns a soft mixture into something you can slice cleanly.

8. 8

   Slice and serve

   Unmould the leverworst and slice it thickly with a sharp knife. Serve it cold or cool on dark rye bread with mustard and pickles. I prefer to keep it a bit more relaxed, in the Dutch way: a board in the middle, a knife beside it, and no one pretending this needs garnish.

Chef Tips

• •Buy very fresh pork liver from a butcher you trust, and cook the sausage the same day. Liver has a short temper in the refrigerator and grows metallic when it waits too long.
• •Mace matters here. Nutmeg alone is rounder and sweeter; mace gives the clean, old Dutch sausage-shop note that makes the slice taste familiar even before you know why.
• •For a softer smeerleverworst, spreadable liver sausage, increase the pork belly to 450g and pulse the mixture finer. Pack it into jars rather than loaf tins and serve it with a small knife.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the leverworst one day ahead; it slices best after a full night in the refrigerator.
• •Keeps 3 days refrigerated, tightly wrapped. For longer storage, freeze whole or in thick slices for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 170g)