I adore these subtly seasoned French sausages so much that I began making them years ago. They’re light with a delicate texture, and all you need is a good mustard to call it a meal and you’ll feel as if you’re dining along in a Parisian brasserie.
Medium hog sausage casings
1 pound boneless chicken breast with skin attached
3/4 pound pork butt or boneless country ribs
1/4 pound pork fat
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
21/2 cups whole milk, divided
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/2 cup heavy cream
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons olive oil
1. Prepare sausage casings as directed.
2. Cut chicken, pork, and pork fat 1-inch cubes. Place cubes on a sheet of plastic wrap on a plate and freeze for 30 minutes, or until very firm.
3. While meats chill, heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook onion, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until onion softens. Stir 1/2 cup milk and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl, and set aside.
4. Finely chop meats and fat in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, using on and off pulsing. Add onion, egg, egg white, and cream to the food processor and puree until smooth. Scrape mixture into a mixing bowl.
5. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and breadcrumb mixture to the mixing bowl, and stir well. Fry 1 tablespoon of mixture in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
6. Stuff mixture into casings very loosely as described, and twist off into 5-inch links; sausages will expand as they cook. Prick air bubbles with a straight pin or skewer. Tie links with kitchen twine. If time permits, arrange links on a wire rack over a baking sheet and air-dry uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 day before cooking.
7. To poach sausages, bring remaining 2 cups milk and 3 cups salted water to a boil over high heat. Add sausages, and maintain water at a bare simmer. Cook sausages for 20 to 25 minutes, or until firm. Remove one sausage to a plate with tongs and insert an instant-read thermometer. If the temperature is 165°F, sausages are done. If not, return to the pot and continue cooking. Remove sausages from the pan with tongs.
8. To serve immediately, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown sausages on all sides. To serve later, cool sausages to room temperature, lightly covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Brown them just prior to serving.
Note: Sausages can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 2 months. Once cooked, they can be refrigerated up to 3 days.