Butifarra And Mashed Potatoes Tapa

tiny Spanish sausages and mashed potatoes appetizer

Tapas are small plates of Spanish appetizers usually eaten in between meals to go with wine. The most common tapas are potato tortilla (omelet), fried chorizos, mushrooms in garlic sauce, cured olives, and prawns also in garlic sauce.

I borrowed this tapa combination of Spanish chorizos on a bed of mashed potatoes from the Food section of The Washington Post. The tiny chorizos were grilled and served on a very silky soft mashed potatoes. I made butifarra, another type of Spanish sausage which is very mild compared to chorizo, twisting them every one inch and cooked them on a skillet instead of the grill. I separated them after they were cooked. For the mashed potatoes, I boiled yukon gold with salt and a whole garlic clove. I used the cooking water to make a very soft fluffy mashed potatoes and added about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in place of butter. This is a very delicious appetizer or dinner.

My recipe for Spanish chorizo is here. Twist every one inch to make into tiny chorizos. Or slice store-bought chorizos into ¾ inch pieces after cooking.

Next time I'll attempt to make José Andrés' deep fried chorizos wrapped in paper thin slices of potatoes. This one sounds really good.

Chorizo Burger

I was reading a post by wysgal last night about her recent trip to Boracay and there is a photo of a sandwich called chori-burger, that is, chorizo with a sweetish sauce in a bun. The photograph looks so good, I can almost taste the sandwich. I have a lot of homemade chorizos in my freezer which I sliced lengthwise while still half frozen, removed the casing and fried in a very hot unoiled non-stick pan. For the sauce I heated up both tomato and banana ketchup, a little vinegar, worcestershire sauce, sugar, liquid smoke, and garlic powder. I had the chori-burger with 3 slices of tomatoes, yum...

Chorizos
2 ½ pounds fatty boneless pork shoulder butt, diced
1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt (do not substitute table salt or sea salt)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons smoked Spanish paprika, more if preferred
3 tablespoons minced garlic, more if preferred
½ tablespoon grated nutmeg, optional
6 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons chilled red wine vinegar
5 feet hog casings, soaked in tepid water for 30 minutes and rinsed

Before you begin, make sure the meat is well chilled, never leave at room temperature.

• Combine the pork with the ingredients except water and wine, toss to distribute the seasoning. Chill until ready to grind.
• Grind the mixture through the large die into a bowl of standing mixer set on ice. Add the water and wine vinegar to the meat mixture and mix with the paddle attachment until the liquids are incorporated and the mixture has developed a uniform appearance, about 1 minute.
• Saute a small portion of the sausage, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Stuff the sausage into the casings and twist into 6 inch links. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

Yield: About 2 ½ pounds