• 16 lbs. potatoes, peeled and diced, 5 lbs. onions, peeled and chopped, 4 lbs. ground beef, 2 lbs. ground pork, Pepper, Salt, Garlic Powder and Italian seasoning to taste, 15 pig casings, 3 cans beers

1. Using an electric grinder or hand crank, grind potatoes and onions.
2. Combine with beef, pork, seasonings, and beer.
3. Stuff mixture into casings and use a sewing needle to poke holes into the sides to prevent air bubbles.
4. When stuffed tightly, tie off and place onto an oiled sheet pan.
5. Poke sausages again, and bake 350 degrees for one 1-1 1/2 hours.
6. If you have leftover mixture, press into oiled casserole dishes, and bake 350 degrees for one hour or until golden brown.
7. This dish is known as Gahactis.
8. After consulting a native German friend, I discovered the correct spelling of this dish is probably Kartoffeln und Wurst.

The sixteen pounds of potatoes had been peeled and diced the night before. Violet wipes her eyes as she skins the five pounds of large yellow onions, halving them neatly before placing them in a large bowl to await their fate in the treacherous teeth of the meat grinder. The clean, white pig casings lie tangled together like spaghetti noodles in a pool of cool water, while several long sewing needles share the safety of a small piece of blue paper. The six pounds of ground meat sit neatly in white butcher paper, while crimson liquid seeps from the paper's crisp corners. Jars of salt and pepper wait patiently for their turn to season and two cans of beer anticipate Violet's hands rescuing them from the dark, cold fridge.

The ninety-one year old continues to prepare her kitchen before her family arrives. She finds her Grandmother's short, hollow elephant tusk, and places it on the kitchen table that is lined with parchment. She locates the extra surgical gloves in the hall closet, and makes them available for those who can't bear the raw onion and meat mixture on their fragile winter skin. She clears away her breakfast dishes, just as the side entrance door opens.

The kitchen quickly fills with women and excitement. The electric meat grinder is plugged in, and its tubular spout filled with potatoes and onions, quickly transforming them into a perfectly pulverized mix. Next, another woman mixes the mash with the ground meat, spices, and beer. Finally, the casings are removed from their tranquil bath, only to be forcefully stuffed with the aromatic potato mixture. Her granddaughter uses the elephant tusk, prized for its perfect shape and size for the task. The narrow end is placed inside of the casing. The wider end is held in one hand, while the other methodically stuffs mash into its vessel. Violet comes around often to prick the growing sausages with a sewing needle, releasing the pockets of air inside. If all needles are not accounted for, the cacophony stops immediately until they are all returned to the neat sheet of paper that lies at the end of the table. Some of the women tie the sausages off themselves, but no one has Violet's years of experience, and she often takes over for the less experienced. As more and more sausages begin to grow, the oven is turned on and large sheet pans oiled. The bowl of mash begins to dwindle and as the last few casings are stuffed, the baking begins, filling the house with the familiar smell of Katufulwurst.

After the sausages are baked, cooled, and divided, the family cleans up and heads home to enjoy the traditional German dish they make each winter. Violet finishes the dishes at her corner sink, overlooking the snow filled yard and thinking of the many times she has made the dish in the past. Before electric meat grinders, she had ground the potatoes, onions, and meat by hand using a crank. Meat was purchased from the local butcher, and large amounts of potatoes were used because of their low price and yearlong availability. So much has changed in her years, yet the sausages taste just the same.