baked salami – Busy in Brooklyn

I bet you’ve never heard of anything like drunken hasselback salami. Hasselback potatoes, maybe. What are they? Well back in the 1940’s, a dish of whole potatoes cut to resemble an accordion was first served at the Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm. Cutting the potatoes this way results in a soft and creamy interior with crisped and browned edges.

Hasselback potatoes have been popular ever since, most commonly served in a simple preparation of butter and salt. I put my own twist on these a while back, using sweet potatoes & apples for a sweet variation.

For Purim, I decided to really bring some hassel back with a sweet & savory combo of salami in an apricot-brand glaze. Since salami is a food that is traditionally hung to dry, many have a custom to eat it on Purim to commemorate the hanging of Haman.

There’s no question that this drunken hasselback salami will be the star of your Purim meal! I couldn’t resist adding some booze to the sauce to really take it over the top. Coming from a former salami-averter, trust me when I tell you that this stuff will please even the pickiest palate. Salami is NOT my thing, or I should say, WAS not my thing – until I ate this. My husband and kids gobbled it up, sopping up the extra sauce with the pulled salami chips.

The first time I tried to make hasselback potatoes, I inadvertently sliced all the way through so many times that my accordion potato morphed into a gratin. But after stumbling upon the coolest hasselback trick, I haven’t screwed up a single potato since! Simply place a chopstick on either side of the potato (or salami) and slice. The knife will stop cutting when it hits the chopstick for perfect accordions every time! How cool is that?

This finger-licking hasselback experiment has got my wheels turning. I’m already dreaming up lots of other accordion-style treats – stay tuned!

Drunken Hasselback Salami

16oz. salami
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
3 tbsp brandy*
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add all ingredients besides for salami to a pot and whisk over medium heat until jam is melted and mixture begins to boil and thicken. Remove the wrapper from the salami and place on a cutting board with chopsticks on either side. Holding the salami down with one hand, slice into thin, even slices (don’t worry, the chopsticks will ensure that you don’t slice all the way through).

Generously brush the salami with the sauce, making sure to get in between all the slices. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, basting every 10-15 minutes, until the salami is browned and crispy around the edges. Serve warm with leftover sauce for dipping.

NOTE: You will notice that the salami will begin to turn and split open in a certain spot. When basting, split the salami open in different areas so it can brown evenly all over instead of just one spot.

*If you do not have brandy, you may use bourbon instead.

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Funny story. When I was growing up, my mother used to prepare salami sandwiches for my siblings and I every Friday afternoon. She would pack up our sandwiches, and we’d take them to the courtyard of our building to eat lunch. Little did she know, each week we’d head straight for our building’s incinerator and throw our sandwiches down the chute.

I tried to eat those sandwiches, I really did. But those hard white pieces in the salami just made me gag. Fast forward quite a number of years and I’m a married woman. I’m in the supermarket with my husband and he wants to buy, you guessed it, salami. I explain to him that in no uncertain terms am I going to put that stuff into my mouth. But he promises me that his preparation is so delicious, even I will eat it.

So we head home, and true to his word, my husband whips up sauteed salami that is not only swallowable, it’s pretty good. I mean, I’m not about to go crazy over it, it’s still salami, but I can see where some might enjoy it.

Now fast forward quite a few more years, and that same sweet husband who whipped me up a dinner of sauteed salami, bought me some amazing food magazines for Shabbos (I’ll take that over flowers any day!). Among them is the Real Simple magazine and it has a recipe for salami chips. Sounds intriguing. So I whip up a batch according to the magazine’s directions and they come out disgusting. Absolutely, horrendous. I play around with the cooking time and the oven temperature, and finally, after countless batches, I get it right!

Interestingly enough, I have read that salami is often eaten on Purim to commemorate the hanging of Haman (salami is also hung). Salami chips would make for a unique and tasty shalach manos, or, you can serve them up as an appetizer at your Purim seudah.

Salami Chips with Dijon Dipping Sauce

sliced salami (see note)
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup apricot jam
1/4 tsp tarragon

Method:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place salami slices on a baking sheet and bake until crispy, about 25 minutes. When you see the salami begin to curl up around the edges, watch them carefully to make sure they don’t burn. As soon as you remove the salami from the oven, dab them with paper towels to remove some of the rendered fat from the top. Then, drain them again on paper towels.

Alternatively, you can make the salami chips in the microwave. Place salami slices between sheets of paper towel. Microwave for approximately 40 seconds, or until crispy.

For dipping sauce, melt the apricot jam in the microwave or on the stovetop. Crush the tarragon between your fingers. In a bowl, mix the mayo, mustard, apricot jam and tarragon. Serve alongside salami chips.

NOTE: To make salami chips, the salami needs to be thinly sliced and uniform. You can purchase presliced salami from your deli counter, but I like to buy it whole and slice it myself. The only way to achieve this without an electric meat slicer is by using a mandolin. However, since the salami is soft, it bends as you try to slice it. My solution for this is to freeze the salami for several hours until it is almost completely frozen. Then slice it on the mandoline as you would a cucumber. You’ll get perfect, uniform slices every time.

VARIATION: For sweet and salty salami chips, combine 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water and melt in the microwave or on the stovetop. Pour sugar mixture over baked salami chips and stir gently to combine. Return chips to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes at 350 degrees.

1 year ago: chocolate dipped pretzel rods

Tag: baked salami

Drunken Hasselback Salami

Salami Chips with Dijon Dipping Sauce