Pan-fried Mustamakkara with Lingonberry Jam
Recipes with Mustamakkara
The way Tampere eats Mustamakkara at home when the market is closed. Thick slices browned in butter until the casing snaps, served on a wooden board with a spoon of cold lingonberry jam and a glass of cold milk on the side. Fifteen minutes, two ingredients, the canonical Pirkanmaa supper.
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
8 min
Servings
2
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- 1 horseshoe Mustamakkara (about 400g)
- 2 tbsp butter
- Lingonberry jam, cold from the fridge
- Cold whole milk, to drink
- Dark Finnish rye bread, optional
Steps
Cut the mustamakkara into 3-centimeter pieces. Do not peel the casing — the snap is part of the dish.
Melt the butter in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. The butter should foam but not brown.
Lay the slices flat-side down in the pan, give them space. Do not crowd. Fry for 3 minutes until the casing darkens and crackles.
Flip and fry the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes. The inside is already cooked through; you are only crisping the surface and warming the centre.
Slide onto a wooden board. Mound a generous spoon of cold lingonberry jam beside the sausage — never on top. Pour the milk into a glass. Eat alternating bites of hot sausage and cold jam.
Tips
Stale or thawed mustamakkara needs only a splash of water in the pan to steam through before the butter goes in. Microwave is the one method to skip — the casing toughens and the inside dries.