We have always been at somewhat of a loss when it comes to using pork skin. We have tried fried pork rinds in many different ways, many different times and only had so-so results (best so far has been Diana Kennedy's chicharrones recipe from My Mexico). For quite some time I have wanted to make Cotechino, the Emilia-Romagna sausage which in includes pork skin. In fact, I tried to drum up interest in a cotechino making party here about a year ago. Today my husband surprised me and made up a huge batch. He used the recipe from Paul Bertolli's Cooking by Hand. 

I have to admit I was a tiny bit wary. I have been a little under the weather and thought this sausage would be too rich and maybe even a little hard to handle texturally. (I've had Saba-braised Zampone--pork foot and foreleg stuffed with cotechino--at Oliveto's Whole Hog Dinner which was extremely rich, if a little dry.)  Bertolli's recipe was definitely rich, but not nearly as rich as I had imagined. And wow! was it delicious! The texture was not as uniform as a normal sausage, but still very lovely--as a country pâté is to a traditional smooth pâté. The spicing in the recipe is perfectly delicate without being invisible.

We weren't able to stuff the sausage in a natural casing as instructed, because this was very spontaneous and we didn't have the one the recipe called for (bung). Instead, we made two casings from butter muslin (which we use when we make liverwurst) which worked very well. I thought perhaps without the natural casing that the sausage would crumble when we cut it, but it held together beautifully.

 Bertolli's recipe makes ALOT of sausage. Eating one good sized slice is definitely enough for one meal so we would recommend making a half recipe if you are interested in trying it. And you should, because it is a truly lovely and comforting winter sausage.