Mushroom sauce and sterz

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 700 g potatoes, floury
• 1 ½ tbsp Flour, for the porridge
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 liter of water
• 50 g mushrooms, dried mixed mushrooms
• 2 slices of sausage (hunting sausage, 70g each)
• 2 slices of sausage (cooked salami, 100g each)
• 1 tbsp clarified butter, for the roux
• 2 tbsp flour, for the roux
• 2 tbsp vinegar (herb vinegar)
• 1 ½ tsp sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

(Sterz made from potatoes) – a Sudeten German recipe from my childhood

To make the mushroom sauce, take one liter of water and soak the dried mushrooms for at least one hour. Make a roux from the clarified butter and flour. Bring the mushroom broth and mushrooms to a boil briefly, then whisk in the cooled roux until lump-free. Season the creamy sauce with 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 1.5 teaspoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add the sausage and salami, and simmer for 5 minutes. Let the mushroom sauce simmer for at least 10 minutes, as the sausage and salami impart a particularly rich flavor. In the meantime, boil the peeled potatoes in plenty of water and a little salt until soft. Sterz is made by mashing the hot, boiled potatoes and adding flour. Cover and let the potato mixture simmer for at least 5 minutes. The consistency of the potato mixture should no longer be creamy and should be easy to form into a dumpling (Sterz). My mother does this using two tablespoons (since it’s hot). She creates wonderful egg-shaped and egg-sized Sterz. If two tablespoons are too much of a hassle, you can also form the Sterz by hand. But be careful! The potato mixture should still be hot so the Sterz don’t need to be reheated. When serving, each person receives 2-3 Sterz, a large ladle of mushroom sauce, a slice of hunting sausage, and a slice of cooked salami.