Christmas Sausage – Julepølse
Julepølse (Christmas sausage) can be used as trimmings with Norwegian rib roast or stand as its own meal. The sausages can be white and red (smoked) and are often seen on the same plate. They are a lot fatter than normal Norwegian pølser and are usually baked in the oven with lard. The tops of the sausages are notched which creates a 'bursting' pattern during baking. Mash potatoes, red cabbage and gravy usually accompany julepølse (or green cabbage and boiled potatoes, if you prefer). You may also like to read...
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Posted 16.12.2009 by
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Previous: Norwegian Christmas Traditions and Food
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Looks delicious! I am so glad I found your blog!
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from L-Jay:
It tasted delicious too! It’s funny getting into the habit of photographing your food before you eat it….lol.
Hi! I moved to Norway two months ago, i found your site just some days ago and i think its very nice!! i read all the Christmass section and I recomend it to my friends too!
Nice!
My American family has developed a Norwegian/American tradition from our Norwegian ancestors on the Hauge farm in rural north central Iowa. Lefse and polse were traditional foods that were both relished and affordable especially through the depression and years after. So at some point they began taking their lefse and filling it with polse, rutabagas and potatoes. (Perhaps the rutabagas came along during a cabbage shortage!) The name for this evidently has something to do with a hired hand named “Tillie” and how it affected his digestive system – since for as long as I can remember our family has looked forward to preparing and eating “Tillie Toots” for Christmas. I’m not certain if this is truth or a funny story they made up. Nonetheless, the smell of the boiling rutabagas has become the cherished essence of our holiday gatherings.
Until the early ’80s there was a family meat market in Clear Lake, IA that prepared the polse for us. When the man died, so did our ability to secure polsa for the annual gathering. My mother began using a mixture of ground pork breakfast sausage and ground beef – loose – that we would add to the potatoes and rutabagas. For years I have wondered if there were any other small meat producers that would have a similar recipe as to what we used to get. My most recent search has led me here.
If anyone knows where/how polsa might be available in the US, please let me know at mrsbeenk@hotmail.com.
Thanks!! How fun to read this article!
Lynn
How exactly do I cook Christmas sausage???
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from Moose:
Simply cut it into 2-inch pieces and cook in the oven until slightly brown. Or use a frying pan.