Behind the Dish: Euclid Hall’s Butcher’s Choice Sausage

Scan Euclid Hall‘s menu and you’ll likely be tempted by the chips and dip, the brat burger, or the itsy bitsy fishwish. All are solid choices, but lately I’ve been jumping straight to the list of house-cranked sausages—and the Butcher’s Choice, in particular. This ever-changing sausage selection includes offerings as varied as pork with ginger and leeks (pictured) and Swedish pork-and-potato.

Chef de cuisine Jorel Pierce explains that Butcher’s Choice is designed to encourage staff creativity. “I want [my cooks] to do something they’ve seen before, or have heard of, or maybe remember from their childhoods,” he says.

In the case of the delicate and nuanced pork-and-potato selection (my favorite sausage to date), the idea came from sous chef Austin Nickle. She wanted to recreate a sausage that she remembered her grandmother making. Before setting to work, Pierce and Nickle outlined the recipe on paper and discussed spice profiles and the difficulty of working with potato starch. “I told her, we can do what you saw from your grandmother, or we can look at the result you want and I can teach you how to make it for a restaurant like [Euclid].” The chefs’ due diligence paid off and the sausage turned out perfectly on the first try. “It’s these little moments,” says Pierce. “It’s why we do what we do.”

Although Nickle’s sausage is off the menu (here’s hoping it makes another appearance soon), the Butcher’s Choice is always worth ordering. Do as I do and upgrade it to a currywurst, pictured, and land a plate plied with sausage, toasted bretzel bread, and ginger-apricot-tomato sauce. Round out the meal with a citrusy saison from Denver’s Crooked Stave.

TV Bonus: Don’t miss Jennifer Jasinski, Euclid Hall’s executive chef and co-owner, competing on the upcoming season of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. The first episode debuts July 24. The show is jammed with big-name chefs, including Top Chef Season 6 winner Bryan Voltaggio, David Burke (who is opening a restaurant in Aspen), and Tamayo, Zengo, Al Lado, and La Sandía chef-founder Richard Sandoval. Jasinski is competing for Work Options for Women.

Also: Chef Sandoval is hosting a viewing party on the 24th at Al Lado at 7 p.m. Watch the show, enjoy a complimenatry cocktail and appetizers, and—maybe—walk away with a bottle give-away.

—Photo courtesy of Rachel Nobrega

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