Hemma Hos

In early August, my sister Deborah drove three hours to my house for a smorgasbord of Swedish goodies that I had squirreled away for a special occasion. Our social distancing picnic’s highlight was the potatiskorv. I admit to cheating a bit, because I purchased premade links. When I was a young bride, my mother and Grandma Peterson ceremoniously gave me a meat grinder to make potatiskorv, but that grinder still sits quietly unused in its original box. Being a modern woman, I found a convenient way to have a similar taste for potatiskorv: I buy my links. Even so, I follow the traditional method of cooking the potatiskorv, simmering the circular links in water and quickly sautéing them to lock in the flavor. Most importantly, I make my own lingonberry sauce from fresh frozen. No lingonberries from a jar or tin is ever served with freshly cooked potatiskorv! Only then can the meal be properly presented on a serving platter.

When the taste of potatiskorv dipped in lingonberries exploded inside my mouth at our picnic, the familiar flavor instantly brought me great comfort during our 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. From one bite, I melted into tenderhearted memories and felt safe and loved back home. I saw Mom and Grandma Peterson hand-cranking the meat grinder and laughing. I saw my three sons seriously debating among themselves which korv recipe is better. Home-cooked food had never tasted better than at that moment.

Our family has always longed for the tastes and smells of home

Treats[ ] à la Sharon

during difficult times. On December 16, 1942 while stationed as a U.S. Marine in the South Pacific, my Dad wrote to his mother, “I’m waiting for the day when I have your limpa, fruitcake, sill, lutefisk, and potatiskorv. I’m going to demand that stuff even if it’s a hot August day when I get home to Willmar. I better not get started or I’ll begin pitying myself.” So, Dad, on a hot August day in 2020 your two daughters shared some of those same foods

Potatiskorv

while we hunkered down during a pandemic. And it’s just as good as you remembered it. By Sharon Franklin Driscoll

Ingredients:

• 1½ lb ground chuck • 1½ lb ground pork • 1 medium onion • 6 medium potatoes (raw) • 1 – 2 tablespoons salt • 1 teaspoon pepper • 1 cup of water • ½ lb hog casings

Grandma Franklin’s Potatiskorv Preparation:

Grind meat, onions and potatoes together in a hand meatgrinder. Add salt, pepper and water. Stuff casing loosely. (Note: Casings may need to be soaked several hours to soften.) Makes 5 – 7 sausages 12” – 18” each. Tie in rings. Freeze. To serve: Simmer 1 hour in gently boiling water. Be sure to puncture the casings in many places (about every 2 inches on each side).

Lingonberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• ¾ to 1-pound package of fresh frozen lingonberries • 3 or 4 tablespoons water • ¾ to 1 cup sugar

Fresh Frozen Lingonberry Sauce Preparation:

In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the frozen lingonberries and water, stirring constantly, till thawed and just beginning to boil. Add sugar. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes stirring frequently. Should fill a one cup canning jar. Serve warm or cold.