Chef Joost
Amsterdamse Ossenworst
The name means ox sausage, but the real story is Amsterdam itself: cattle trade, Jewish butchers, VOC spices, and raw beef sliced thin with onion.
Culinary Explorer
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Likkepot
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The name means lick-pot, and that is nearly the whole instruction: soft leverworst, onion, mustard, and herbs stirred into the frugal Dutch spread nobody bothers to pretend is elegant.
Appetizers & Snacks
Dutch
Budget Friendly
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
15 min
Active Time
0 min cook•1 hr 15 min total
Yield6 servings
The name already tells you the manners expected at the table. Likkepot: from likken, to lick, and pot, the pot itself. Not a noble title. Not a guild secret. Just the old Dutch habit of naming a thing by what people actually do with it when no one is pretending.
In my grandmother's second notebook there are dishes written with great care, and then there are the little things she assumed everyone knew. Likkepot belongs to that second family: the butcher's-counter spread, the birthday-table bowl, the thing set beside rye bread and toast while coffee was still being poured and somebody was already asking whether there was more onion. But let me tell you a secret: these small dishes are where a kitchen tells the truth about itself. A frugal country did not waste the rich end of the animal. It seasoned it, softened it, and passed the bread.
The whole dish depends on not bullying the leverworst. Use soft smeerleverworst, spreadable liver sausage, not a dry slicing sausage. Loosen it with a little butter or mayonnaise, wake it with mustard and pickle brine, then fold in onion and herbs finely enough that every bite is savoury rather than sharp. Hou het altijd simpel, always keep it simple. Chill it long enough to settle, then bring it back just short of cold so it spreads like a good secret.
Likkepot belongs to the Dutch household and butcher's-shop tradition of smeersels, spreads made for bread, toast, and borrel tables, especially where soft leverworst was already part of everyday provisions. Its name is a plain Dutch compound from likken, to lick, and pot, and the joke is practical rather than decorative: the spread is meant to be scooped until the bowl is clean. The dish reflects a wider Dutch pattern of nose-to-tail economy, where offal, onions, mustard, pickles, and herbs made a rich snack from ingredients that ordinary households could afford.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
soft smeerleverworst or spreadable liver sausage
Quantity
250g
casing removed
unsalted butter
Quantity
50g
softened
mayonnaise
Quantity
2 tablespoons
Dutch mustard
Quantity
1 tablespoon
shallot or mild onion
Quantity
1 small
very finely minced
pickle (augurk)
Quantity
1 small
very finely chopped
pickle brine
Quantity
1 tablespoon
parsley
Quantity
1 tablespoon
finely chopped
chives
Quantity
1 tablespoon
finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
ground mace or nutmeg (optional)
Quantity
pinch
salt (optional)
Quantity
to taste
dark rye, brown bread, or toast
Quantity
to serve
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| soft smeerleverworst or spreadable liver sausagecasing removed | 250g |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 50g |
| mayonnaise | 2 tablespoons |
| Dutch mustard | 1 tablespoon |
| shallot or mild onionvery finely minced | 1 small |
| pickle (augurk)very finely chopped | 1 small |
| pickle brine | 1 tablespoon |
| parsleyfinely chopped | 1 tablespoon |
| chivesfinely chopped | 1 tablespoon |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| ground mace or nutmeg (optional) | pinch |
| salt (optional) | to taste |
| dark rye, brown bread, or toast | to serve |
Equipment Needed
- •Medium mixing bowl
- •Fork or small sturdy whisk
- •Sharp knife for fine chopping
- •Small serving bowl
Instructions
- 1
Soften the base
Put the leverworst and softened butter in a bowl and mash them together with a fork until no hard lumps remain. The sausage should become creamy, not whipped into air. This is a spread for bread, not a mousse with ambitions.
- 2
Loosen and season
Stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, pickle brine, black pepper, and the pinch of mace or nutmeg if using. Taste before adding salt. Leverworst usually arrives well seasoned from the butcher, and salting twice is how thrift becomes punishment.
Mace or nutmeg is not fancy here. It is the old Dutch spice cupboard speaking quietly, the same warm note that turns up in meatballs, ragout, and bitterballen. - 3
Fold in sharpness
Fold in the minced onion, chopped pickle, parsley, and chives. Keep the onion very fine; you want its bite threaded through the spread, not one brave cube taking over the whole slice of bread.
- 4
Rest it cold
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour. This rest matters. The onion softens, the mustard settles into the liver, and the pickle brine cuts the richness without making the spread taste sour.
- 5
Serve for spreading
Take the likkepot from the refrigerator ten minutes before serving so it spreads easily. Spoon it into a small bowl, scatter over a few extra chives if you like, and serve with dark rye, brown bread, or toast. Put a butter knife beside it and let people do what the name has already predicted.
Chef Tips
- •Buy soft smeerleverworst, spreadable liver sausage, from a butcher or deli counter if you can. A firm slicing leverworst can work only if it is very finely mashed, but it will never become quite as relaxed.
- •Do not use a sweet pickle. The augurk should be sharp enough to cut the richness of the liver and butter.
- •For a borrel, the Dutch drinks table, serve it with rye, toast rounds, radishes, and small sour pickles. Beer likes it better than wine does, for obvious reasons.
- •If raw onion sits badly with you, rinse the minced onion in cold water, drain it well, and pat it dry before adding. The bite stays, the harshness leaves.
Advance Preparation
- •Make up to 24 hours ahead and keep covered in the refrigerator; the flavour improves after a proper cold rest.
- •Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Stir before serving and let it stand 10 minutes at room temperature so it spreads cleanly.
- •Do not freeze it. The emulsion breaks and the onion weeps, which is more drama than this little pot deserves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 105g)
Calories
255 calories
Total Fat
18 g
Saturated Fat
8 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
8 g
Cholesterol
80 mg
Sodium
620 mg
Total Carbohydrates
15 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
9 g
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