Mains
Vėdarai
Ingredients
- 2m cleaned pig intestine casing
- 1.5kg (3 1/4 lbs) Potatoes, finely grated
- 200g (7.1 oz) Bacon, diced
- 1 Onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp (2g) Marjoram
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp (28g) Lard, for basting
Method
- Squeeze the excess liquid from the grated potatoes and mix with the diced bacon, onion, marjoram, salt, and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
- Using a funnel, fill the cleaned intestine casing loosely with the potato mixture, leaving room for it to expand.
- Tie off the ends and coil the sausage into a roasting tin, pricking it in several places with a fork.
- Brush with lard and roast for 70-75 minutes, basting occasionally, until deep golden and crisp.
- Rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Introduction: Vėdarai is a traditional farmhouse dish born from a no-waste approach to home butchery, using the intestine casing left over from sausage-making to hold a hearty potato filling — still popular at countryside gatherings today.
Cultural Background: Vėdarai is a traditional farmhouse dish born from a no-waste approach to home butchery, using the intestine casing left over from sausage-making to hold a hearty potato filling — still popular at countryside gatherings today.
Tips: Fill the casing loosely rather than tightly — the potato mixture expands as it cooks and a tightly packed sausage is likely to split.
Variations: Some regions add grated carrot to the filling for sweetness, or serve slices pan-fried until extra crisp rather than straight from the oven.
Nutrition: Approx. 390 kcal, 10g protein, 20g fat, 40g carbohydrates per serving.
FAQs:
Q: Where can I get intestine casing?
A: Butchers who prepare their own sausages usually sell cleaned casing on request; it's also sold frozen in some Baltic and Eastern European grocers.
Q: What can I use if I can't get casing?
A: The same filling can be baked in a loaf tin like kugelis, though the traditional crisp casing texture will be missing.
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