Polish Sausage Recipe
Polish sausage and a variety of side dishes, usually sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and corn, was a dish I was raised on and still enjoy very much, so writing this piece brought back fond memories. There are other cooking methods like pan frying and grilling, which are used often, but in my expert opinion they will dry your meat out, and they are the wrong methods for polish sausage.
Even if it can go on a grill and taste decent, it does not mean it will be nearly as good as a baked or poached Polish sausage. These methods maximize flavor and succulence.
Ingredients
- Two pounds of Polish sausage
- One white onion cut into quarters
- One teaspoon marjoram can be added, but it is optional
- Half of a bay leaf
- About half of a handful of whole, black peppercorns
- One or two smashed garlic cloves depending on how much you like garlic
- A few mustard seeds
Instructions
If you bought your Polish sausage frozen, you can thaw it a little under cool water. It will be boiled in water anyways.
Place the Polish sausage in the pot.
Here is a pro tip: The pot should be wide and somewhat shallow because you will not be adding a lot of water like you would if you were boiling noodles. This kind of pot is perfect for this dish.
Add your onion, peppercorns, garlic cloves, marjoram if you choose to and half a bay leaf. The spices will add extra flavor to the Polish sausage in the event some flavor happens to escape through the casing.
Cover the pot, bring it to a simmer and keep it on the low-heat simmer for 50 to 60 minutes. Pro tip: Remove from heat early if parts of the casing begin to split from cooking.
Any attempt to speed up the cooking process by letting the water simmer too high or boil will cause the meat to burst open, which I consider a failure.
Do not prick the sausage with a fork thinking the flavored water will infuse the meat. It will only cause it to dry out. After the hour of cooking is finished, you can turn the water off and let the meat rest. It is best to let it cool in the cooking liquid.
The final product should come out plump with no brown color. It will be plump, juicy and delicious.
