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Mansfield – VIC.
Returning to Canberra from Melbourne via the Yarra Ranges
and Mansfield (as you do when you’re pursuing food stories)
Fred was attracted by the expansive front of Nolan’s
Butchery. Perhaps it was the catchy slogan “Please to meet,
meat to please” that dragged him in.
At any rate, he emerged bearing an Aberdeen sausage – which
is more like a meatloaf than a sausage. We expected it to be
good, given that Nolan’s have carried off the
Australian Sausage King title no less than four times (albeit, the last victory
was in 1999). To achieve these dizzy heights, a butcher
needs to win the regional, then the State title and then go
on to the Nationals.
The Nolan family business has been
going for more than 100 years, but no matter how proud they
are of their tradition, they’re not clinging to the past
when it comes to marketing methods. You can order from them
online, with next-day delivery
to Melbourne or Mount Buller.
Aberdeen sausage, as you
would expect, is a traditional Scottish dish. Its
ingredients reflect the culinary heritage of a region known
for its beef (this is where the Aberdeen Angus originated)
and its bacon.
Scotland claims to have some of the best
bacon in the world. It is brined for about a day and matured
for two weeks, for a full flavour and a dry texture.
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Here’s a recipe for making your own Aberdeen sausage (but we
haven’t made it ourselves, so we can’t say how closely it
resembles the Nolan’s). We’ve been eating it cut into thick
slices and dry-fried as an accompaniment to our breakfast
eggs.
 Aberdeen Sausage
Serves 4-6
1 lb
(450g) stewing steak
4 oz (100g) streaky bacon
4 oz (100g)
onions
4 oz (100g) porridge oats
Brown Sauce (Worcestershire)
1 egg
1
teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
parsley
Preheat oven. Put the beef, bacon and onions twice
through the mincer. Add the remaining ingredients and mix
very well. Shape into a fat sausage and wrap in foil that
has been lightly brushed with oil. Place on the baking-sheet
and bake for 2 hours. Cool in foil for 10 minutes. Unwrap on
to a serving dish.
It can be served with salad and coated
with brown breadcrumbs; also the sausage may be eaten hot.
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