Brown-Butter Brussels Sprout Stoemp with Beer-Braised Sausages
Bistro-style stoemp: potatoes mashed with nutty brown butter, seared Brussels sprouts and crisp bacon, topped with sausages braised in a Belgian brown-ale onion sauce.
Method
Peel the potatoes and cut them into 4 cm chunks. Put them in a 20 cm pot with the salt and the water, bring to the boil on high heat, then lower to medium heat and simmer for . When a knife slides in easily, drain, return to the pot and cover.
Add in this stepWater 1½ LSalt 1½ tspFloury potatoes 400 g
high heat→medium heatCut the bacon into 1 cm strips and fry in a dry 24 cm pan on medium heat for , until crisp. Lift out the bacon and leave the fat in the pan.
Add in this stepThick-cut smoked bacon 80 g
medium heatBrown the sausages in the bacon fat on medium heat for , rolling them so they colour deeply on all sides, then lift them out. They don't need to be cooked through yet.
Add in this stepFresh pork sausages (about 120 g each) 2
medium heatSlice the onions thinly, add to the same pan and cook on medium heat for until browned, then sprinkle over the brown sugar. Pour in the beer and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon, then add the stock, thyme and mustard. Return the sausages and braise on medium-low heat for , turning them, until the sauce is glossy and thick and the sausages reach 71 °C inside.
Add in this stepOnions 1Brown sugar 1 tspBelgian brown ale or dark beer 150 mlBeef stock 100 mlThyme sprigs 2Mustard 1½ tsp
medium heat→medium-low heatTrim and halve the Brussels sprouts. Melt 30% of the butter in a 20 cm pan, lay the sprouts cut side down and cook on medium heat for , until the cut faces are deep brown. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover and steam for 1 minute so they are tender inside.
Add in this stepButter 14 gBrussels sprouts 160 g
medium heatHeat the remaining butter in a small pan on medium heat for ; when the foam subsides, brown flecks appear and it smells nutty, take it off the heat at once. Add the warm cream, brown butter, nutmeg and pepper to the potatoes and mash roughly, then fold in the sprouts and half the bacon. Season with salt.
Add in this stepButter 31 gDouble or heavy cream, warmed 80 mlGround nutmeg 1 pinchBlack pepper to taste
medium heatSpoon the stoemp onto plates, top with the sausages and the beer-onion sauce, and finish with the remaining bacon and the parsley.
Add in this stepParsley, chopped 1 tbsp
Cook's tip
Brown butter burns within seconds, so pull it off the heat and pour it into a bowl as soon as it turns hazelnut brown. A malty brown ale suits the sauce better than a bitter IPA. To avoid alcohol, use alcohol-free dark beer or half apple juice, half stock.
Cooking it at camp
One cast-iron pan handles bacon, sausages, sauce and sprouts in turn, and one pot boils the potatoes. You can brown the butter in the potato pot after tipping the potatoes into a bowl.