Holstein Heaven and Earth Two-Point-Zero

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 6 apples (Boskoop or similar)
• 1 vanilla pod(s)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• ½ lemon(s), organic, including 1 tbsp juice and the grated peel
• 4 sausages (gruel sausages) from the butcher, with or without raisins, according to taste
• 100 g bacon, fat, green, in fine cubes
• 3 medium-sized onions, sliced ​​into fine rings
• 800 g potatoes, floury, peeled
• 3 bay leaves, preferably fresh
• n. B. Salt for the potato cooking water
• 50 ml cream
• 100 g butter
• e.g. salt and pepper
• Nutmeg freshly ground to taste
• some flour
• ½ bunch parsley, flat, finely chopped, with the stems
• 4 jars of aquavit

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

Classic, but a little spiced up from Fiefhusen

“Heaven and Earth” always consists of two basic ingredients: apples (heaven) and potatoes (earth). In our geographical corner, we also call it ‘heaven and hell.’ Then, a local sausage specialty is always added. Let’s start with heaven: The apples are all quartered, peeled, and cored. Five of them are sliced ​​and placed in a pot with the vanilla bean, sugar, and lemon juice. They are cooked over medium heat until soft. Now remove the bean and briefly blend everything into a smooth paste. Let cool. The last apple is processed raw to achieve a special mouthfeel. One half of the apple is grated. The other half is finely diced. Now everything is mixed together with the lemon zest and set aside. You just need to rinse the vanilla bean briefly, and you can reuse it—don’t throw it away! Alternatively, you can use a whole tonka bean instead of the vanilla bean. Now for the earth/hell: Boil the potatoes in salted water with the bay leaf until soft, so for at least 25 to 30 minutes. If you have fresh bay leaves, cut them several times along the leaf grain. The cooking water couldn’t be more flavorful. Potatoes and bay leaves go together well! When the potatoes are soft, drain them and return them to the pot. Now add the cream and butter and mash them with a potato masher. The mash shouldn’t be too fine, because then the whole thing tends to become slimy like wallpaper paste. You also want a chunky mouthfeel. Season with salt and pepper from the mill and stir in a touch of nutmeg. Just not too much nutmeg, or it will get musty. Keep warm. Slice the onions over the fine steps of the vegetable slicer. Finely dice the bacon and fry in the pan over three-quarters heat, stirring frequently. Add the onion rings and fry both until golden brown, then keep warm in the pan. Now, slowly fry the last ingredient in the pan with a little oil, initially at medium heat: the blood sausage. It’s important to bring the sausage to its peak slowly so it doesn’t burst. I leave it in the pan with the lid on first, turning it a few times until it reaches the core temperature. Now gradually increase the heat, turning it more frequently. The sausage is at its best when it hasn’t burst and has become crispy where it comes into contact with the pan. Frying has the advantage that you can then eat the delicious crispy skin. Now simply serve on preheated plates. Arrange the bacon and onions on top of the mashed potatoes. The only thing that’s a matter of taste at this point is how much of the rendered fat you add. And then garnish with the parsley. There’s really no upper limit to how much butter you can add to the mashed potatoes. Some star chefs prefer a 1:1 potato to butter ratio. It works! But then increase the aquavit dosage.