Slow Cooker Goetta -- The Sausage That Starts the Year Again

New Year. 2020. The year that — but I don't know yet what this year will hold. I only know what I hope: that Paul will see spring. That Sophie will graduate. That the lake will open and the ice will go out and Paul will smell the bread and the garden and the air coming through the window. New Year's Eve: just us. Paul and me and Sven. The smallest midnight. I held his hand at midnight and said, "Another year, Paul." He eye-typed, slowly: "ANOTHER YEAR LINDA." The same words. Every year. From full voice to whisper to machine to eye-tracking, letter by letter. The words survive every medium. The words are stronger than the voice that used to carry them. Another year. 2020. I don't make resolutions. But if I did: keep baking. Keep reading. Keep singing. Keep the bread coming every week. Keep the meatballs perfect. Keep the house smelling like home. Keep Paul comfortable. Keep Sven fed. Keep the candle lit. Keep going. That's the resolution. Keep going. Paul's breathing is at fifty-five percent. The number dropped over the holidays. The non-invasive ventilation runs twenty-two hours a day now. Two hours off — the two hours of meals and morning care, the two hours when the mask is removed and Paul's face is visible, his face, the face I've loved for thirty-three years, the glasses and the jaw and the expression that I can read like a book I've memorized. The face. When the mask is off, I see his face. The whole face. Not just the eyes above the mask. The whole thing — the mouth that used to speak and kiss and eat and smile. The mouth that is still and quiet now but still a mouth, still Paul's mouth, still the mouth that said "I do" in 1988 at the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church. I kiss his forehead when I remove the mask. Every morning. The kiss is the first thing and the mask removal is the second thing and the order matters because the love comes before the medicine. I made a New Year's dinner: korv. The potato sausage. The first recipe. The beginning recipe. For Paul: the smell. For me: the taste. The korv, fried in butter, crispy at the edges, served with mustard and rye bread. The smell filled the house. Paul typed: "KORV." One word. The word was enough. Korv. New Year. 2020. The year begins. Another year. Keep going.

Korv has always been the beginning recipe in our house — the one you make when you need to remember what home smells like. I’ve made it so many times I could do it in the dark, and on that New Year’s Eve I nearly did, moving quietly through the kitchen while Paul rested. This slow cooker goetta isn’t korv, but it carries the same soul: ground meat and grain cooked low and long, then sliced and fried in butter until the edges go crisp and the whole kitchen fills with something warm and specific and real. If you’ve never made a sausage from scratch before, this is the beginning recipe — make it when you need to keep going.

Slow Cooker Goetta

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 6 hours (slow cooker) + 10 minutes (pan) | Total Time: 6 hours 25 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 2 cups steel-cut oats
• 4 cups water or low-sodium beef broth
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, for frying

Instructions

1. Combine in slow cooker. Add the ground pork, ground beef, steel-cut oats, water or broth, onion, garlic, bay leaves, marjoram, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir well to break up the meat and distribute evenly.
2. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking, until the oats are completely tender and the mixture is thick. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
3. Shape and chill. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving overhang on all sides. Spoon the hot goetta mixture into the pan and press firmly to compact. Fold the plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until firm.
4. Slice. Unmold the chilled goetta onto a cutting board and slice into 1/2-inch rounds.
5. Pan-fry. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet (cast iron works best) over medium-high heat. Add the goetta slices in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 4 to 5 minutes per side until deeply golden and crisp at the edges. Work in batches, adding more butter as needed.
6. Serve. Serve hot alongside mustard, rye bread, or eggs. The crisp edges are the whole point — don’t rush the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 380mg