You expect lutefisk, that Scandinavian cod dish, to prompt reactions from yummy to yuck. You don’t expect such responses to potato sausage.
But bring it up, and you’ll find people who love the plump meat-and-potato concoction and those who nibble it only during the holidays and only at the urging of Swedish relatives.
Too bad. We sampled several types of this korv (sausage) and enjoyed the mild flavor, the meat’s fine grind and the spicing variations.
Credit frugal Swedish cooks for coming up with this sausage, probably in the 1800s, says Kerstin Lane, executive director of the Swedish American Museum Center in the Andersonville neighborhood.
“It was a way for immigrants to stretch meat,” adds Larry Anderson, who runs the Tre Kronor eatery.
Back then, raw potatoes were ground with meat, then stuffed into casings. Because raw potatoes darken when peeled, today’s sausage makers may instead use potato flour as a binder, says Ingvar Wikstrom, the boss at Wikstrom’s Scandinavian Foods & Gifts (5247 N. Clark St.; 773-275-6100). There, two types of potato sausage are made: all pork ($4.99 a pound) and beef and pork ($3.99). If Wikstrom is on hand, he’ll coach you through the cooking process, including adding onion, peppercorns, allspice and bay leaf to the cooking water. We followed his directions with the all-pork variety and loved it.
At the Town Meat Market (121 E. Cook St., Libertyville; 847-362-0210), Wolfgang Allen–who notes his wife, Linnea, is Swedish–prepares a potato sausage with a rich, meaty flavor (thanks to beef, pork and veal) and a slight peppery kick ($3.99 a pound). Cooked in a skillet with some water, then lightly browned, it won raves.
At Tre Kronor (3258 W. Foster Ave.; 773-267-9888), Anderson serves a tasty potatiskorv as a side dish ($2.95 for three chunks) and with thin Swedish pancakes. We had ours with a couple eggs and a slathering of tasty mustard. Yum. At the Ann Sather on Southport (3416 N. Southport Ave.; 773-404-4475), we had a very mild, just-boiled version as a breakfast side order ($2.75). It benefited immensely from a spicy brown mustard. At the Belmont location, the sausage is also served as an entree ($10.95) with sides, etc.
———-
Potatiskorv
More Top Picks Wind Generator
What it is: Potato sausage
How to say it: POHE-tah-tees-korf
What it costs: $2.95-$4.99
How to say “Thank you” in Swedish: Tack sa mycket (tak sow mee ket)