Whether you call them kishke, keeshka, or kishkie, these are all variations of the name kishka, which describes an Eastern European type of sausage. In the traditional sense, sausages were made by stuffing a mixed of meat, filler and spices into an animal intestine. I have been ever thankful that isn’t the case any longer! If you wish to try to make these potato sausages, you might check Amazon of all places for the sausage casings. They have several varieties, including organic and vegan. You will also want a sausage stuffer, available by KitchenAid and others.

Potato Sausage (kishkie)

1/4 lb beef casing

3 lb potatoes

2 eggs

1/2 lb bacon

1 medium onion

1 c flour

salt & pepper

Grate potatoes, cut & fry bacon in small pieces. When bacon is half done add onions & fry until bacon is crisp. Add flour, eggs, salt, pepper and mix well.

I’m reminded of a snarky and slightly non-PC song my Gram taught me as a kid, all about Donderbeck the butcher and his sausage making enterprise. The song possibly dates from the late 19th century, but was recorded during the WPA Project in the 1930s. This was the time when Alan Lomax went around the country with his recording machine and had local folk singers perform their songs for the Library of Congress. Two versions at least are in the LoC recorded in 1938. Like many tunes at the time, the song could be adapted to the version preferred by the singer. In Gram’s case, it was set to the tune of the Rambling Wreck from Georgia Tech. One line goes like this:

Oh, Donderbeck, Oh Donderbeck

How could you be so mean?

I’m sorry you invented

Your sausage meat machine!

For all the rats and pussy-cats

Shall never more be seen,

They’ve all been ground to sausage meat

In Donderbeck’s machine!

What can we say…it was the Great Depression.