Kendrick and I talked about it, and we agree that the major problem with Scrapple is that it looks like this (before it’s cooked).
The other problem: it’s called “Scrapple”, and the reason it’s called Scrapple is that it’s made from pork scraps left over from butchering (tongue, head, heart, liver, etc), pulverized, and held together with cornmeal. Since this is Stone Barns Scrapple, and therefore fancy, it also has things like pork cheeks (the very best part of the animal because it’s super tender) mixed in, but still:
Scrapple.
Hey, I get it.
I first encountered the stuff when I was seventeen and went with my boyfriend to Philadelphia to visit his mom. When we sat down at the table, I was presented with toads-in-a-hole, which were fantastic…and also a plateful of something that I had never seen or heard of before in my life. Scrapple’s a major breakfast staple in Pennsylvania, you see, but because I was seventeen and fussy I made a big thing about oh my god, I could never, et cetera pain in the butt.
Anyway, seventeen-year-old me was both a poor houseguest and wrong, because Scrapple is really delicious: it’s basically just salty, mildly spicy sausage.
Here’s how you make it:
1. Lightly oil and heat a pan (you can also use butter to fry it in, but oil creates a nicer texture).
2. Slice up the loaf into 1/4″ pieces.
3. Fry the slices about five minutes per side, or until cooked through and crispy.
You can serve Scrapple with sweet toppings like applesauce, jam or maple syrup, alongside savory sides like ketchup, horseradish and mustard, or do what I do: serve it next to scrambled eggs (but then mush it all up together and spoon it onto toast).
See? Yum.
The fact that Kendrick insisted that I take this photo is a pretty good example of why we get along.
