Isterband Salad

4 from 1 ratings

"The isterband sausage is a coarse, lightly smoked sausage from Småland in Sweden. It is made from pork, barley and potato and, eaten on its own, it can have quite an acidic taste. It is almost always served with pickled beetroot and dill potatoes. This salad uses those traditional components but distributes them in a different way throughout the dish." — Simon Bajada, author of The New Nordic: Recipes from a Scandinavian Kitchen

Servings

servings

Ingredients

1 cup pearl barley
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoon olive oil
21 ounce lightly smoked pork sausages
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
1 ounce dill fronds
½ cup (3.5 ounces) pickled beet, drained and sliced
2 onions, peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick rings
plain yogurt, for serving (optional)

Directions

Soak the barley in 4 cups of water for 10 minutes. Drain the barley and then boil in at least 16 cups of water for about 50 minutes. It will be slightly al dente. Drain, rinse in the vinegar and olive oil.
Fry the sausages in the rapeseed oil over a medium heat until cooked through. Their cook time will depend on the thickness of the sausages but they should be done in about 10–12 minutes. Slice the sausages on an angle into roughly ¾-inch-thick pieces.
Mix the sausages, dill, and beetroot into the barley. Season, to taste.
Preheat a griddle pan to high and char the onion rings for about 2 minutes on each side until they are almost black. Add the onions to the salad while they are still warm. Serve immediately with yogurt on the side, if desired.