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Danish pork sausages are traditional and simple to make, at least as far as sausages go. They are great on their own as a main course, and the leftovers make excellent smørrebrød when sliced up and placed on top of buttered Danish rye bread. While there are a number of pickled condiments that compliment medisterpølse, I prefer the fresh and tangy taste of Danish cucumber salad (agurkesalat) to go with lightly spiced pork sausages. And to wash it down? Cold beer. "Skål!"

Statue of legendary Danish hero Holger Danske sleeping in the basement of Kronborg Castle

Holger Danske is a legendary Danish hero who fought as a mercenary along-side Charlemagne in the 8th century. The legend states that in his entire, highly decorate career as a mercenary, he never once lost a battle, but after years of fighting abroad he grew homesick (craving smørrebrød?). So, he did what all homesick Danish mercenaries would do when finished fighting in the South of France during the Dark Ages - he walked back to Denmark.

He walked all the way to the town of Helsingør, home to Castle Kronborg, where he sat down, exhausted, and immediately fell asleep. And he still sleeps there today in the basement of Kronborg. According to legend, however, Holger Danske will awaken if an enemy comes along to threaten Danish sovereignty. So it may come as no surprise that, during the Second World War when Denmark was occupied by the Nazis, the Danish Resistance fighters named themselves Holger Danske.

So what does this have to do with smørrebrød? For most Danes, absolutely nothing. But for me, as a child growing up in Canada, my father would tell me the story of the Holger Danske and warned me that if I ever made smørrebrød that did not adhere to the strict Danish manner, Holger Danske would awaken from his deep slumber - somehow walk to Canada - and do unspeakably terrifying Viking-things to me as punishment for threatening Danish tradition.

As I mentioned, Holger Danske sleeps in the basement of Kronborg castle in Helsingør (Elsinore). This very same castle is famous for another reason. According to William Shakespeare, it is none other than Elsinore Castle, former home of the Prince of Denmark, the tragic figure Hamlet. (Interested in a transcript of Shakespeare's Hamlet?)

And what does this have to do with smørrebrød? Again, nothing, unless, like me, you've initiated countless numbers of non-Danes to the traditions of Danish open-faced sandwiches. Admittedly, Denmark is a small country, and most North Americans have limited knowledge about the tiny Kingdom. Yet everybody seems to know the Little Mermaid and Hamlet. And inevitably, when mentioning Hamlet, they cite the famous line by Marcellus: "Something is rotten in the State of Denmark" followed by a cleverly improvised "let's hope it isn't the herring we're about to eat!" 

Anyway, let's get back to our medisterpølse. Here's what you need to know.

First of all, the Danish Degree of Difficulty is a Holger Danske Hard - mainly because of the time it takes and the special sausage-making equipment you will need. Also, when it comes to making sausage, I highly recommend you grow a third arm, or better yet, enlist the help of a friend.

Well-marbled pork shoulder

For really great sausage, the key is really great pork. The question is what cut is the best. While I have a fair amount of sausage making experience, I decided to enquire with my friends at Pork Futures - these guys are the experts in making all manner of delicious pork sausages using the freshest organic ingredients. They recommended well-marbled pork shoulder with the option of adding extra back fat depending on how "juicy" you like your sausages. Also, be sure to keep everything as cold as possible. This minimizes the risk of unwanted bacteria forming and keeps the fat from melting into the meat.

Ingredients for Making Danish Pork Sausage

To make medisterpølse, you will need:

• about 2 kg refrigerated pork shoulder (plus the option of additional back fat)
• 1 large white onion
• 500 ml beef broth (preferably homemade), cooled
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp ground all-spice
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp each ground clove, nutmeg, and ginger
• at least 3 meters of pork casing (available at good butchers)
• For cooking - 2 bay leaves + 2 tbsp butter

1) Slice about 2 kilos of pork shoulder into cubes. Then run the meat through a meat grinder using the fine setting. If you are using extra fat, grind it, too).

Grind the meat

2) Chop the onion, and run it through the meat grinder. Then thoroughly mix together the meat, onion, spices, and broth using your hands. Fry up a small amount of the mixture to taste for seasoning. If needed, adjust seasoning to taste (for instance, add a bit more salt).

Combine the ingredients

4) Add a medium-sized sausage attachment to your meat grinder and load a couple of meters of casings onto the sausage stuffer (spigot).

5) Fill the casing with the sausage stuffing. With medisterpølse, you do not create links. Instead, you create long coils about one meter long each that you cook all at once.

Coiled medisterpølse, ready for cooking.

6) Place coil in a large frying pan, cover with water, add 2 bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Simmering sausage

7) Drain cooking liquid and remove sausages temporarily to a plate. Cut the sausages into pieces about 30 cm long. Meanwhile, return frying pan to stove set at medium-high heat. Melt 2 tbsp butter and fry entire coil of sausages until golden brown all over.

Yum!

Making Agurkesalat

Now for the agurkesalat - everybody's favourite Danish side-dish! Why buy it at the store when you can make it yourself!

Here is what you need to know:

Ingredients for Agurkesalat

• 1 English cucumber, washed
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 250 ml white vinegar
• 3 tbsp chopped dill
• Freshly ground black pepper

1) Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the entire cucumber.

2) Place the sliced cucumber in a bowl and toss with the coarse salt. The salt will serve to pull out the liquid from the cucumber flesh.

Toss cucumber with coarse salt

3) Put a small plate on top of the cucumbers in the bowl and weigh it down with a jar or other weighted object.

Cucumbers weighted down

4) After about 2 hours, you will notice that the cucumber slices are basically sitting in a bowl of salty water. Drain the salty water, squeezing out as much excess liquid as possible (without crushing the cucumber).

Cucumbers sitting in their brine

5) Pour in the vinegar and stir in the chopped dill. Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before using to allow the flavours to blend.