From Rick: Planning on 20 guests or even more than this, to fill the table buy 10 pounds of sausage. All of the same variety would work, but it wouldn't be any fun for the host, who after all deserves some entertainment! So get as many varieties as possible. This can also be done with types of cheeses and with Scotch, though there are no guarantees with the latter. Read down and see what may emerge.
Sausage Varieties for a Super Bowl Party
Andouille -pronounced "an-DOO-wee" is a Cajun smoked sausage spicy from cayenne.
Bratwurst - the German pork and beef sausage, generally served with sauerkraut
Chorizo - a coarsely ground dry pork sausage, heavily seasoned and smoked. The Mexican variety is uncooked and made from fresh pork. The spicy Spanish variety uses smoked pork that is dry-cured.
Frankfurter - the American hot dog
Italian - sweet or spicy or both
Jalapeno smoked sausage- yes, you guessed it - spicy and hot!
Kielbasa - precooked Polish smoked sausage, highly seasoned and beautifully garlicky
Knackwurst - a small soft German sausage somewhat ont he order of a frankfurter. Its taste is often compared to that of a bockwurst, the sausage of the frankfurter.
Linguiça - uncooked, smoked, Portuguese-type sausage heavily seasoned with garlic, cinnamon, pepper, salt, and cumin seeds then cured in a vinegar pickling liquid.
Regular smoked
Venison - who says it has to be pork or beef?
Weisswurst - a mild German sausage The name weisswurst means "white sausage" in German.
Whatever you like, get it and get plenty! Get a variety of mustards, again to your own liking (though I advise against those with a great deal of acidity).
Cook the sausages separately so you can keep track of which is which. You can steam, simmer or grill sausages, but give sausage a long cooking - low, slow heat is best. Some people parboil sausages in beer, but when serving an assortment this takes away a little individuality. The best results came from roasting--not baking--them in a convection oven! Cut into 1"-2" lengths and impale on toothpicks.
Now the fun begins! You have several choices, depending on the status of the game:
Don't tell anybody there are different kinds of sausages; (the game is close and your team is not showing up well)
Tell them that there are different ones, and how many; (good sportsmanship is your motto, plus you think your team will win and you can afford generosity)
Tell them the names and challenge them to identify them; (the game is neck and neck)
Surrender, be nice, and separate by variety and describe the flavor if necessary. (You surrender because your team has lost OR because you are gracious when winning!)
Remember, though, the host should have some fun, too! And if the host's spouse is doing the cooking, all the more reason for a little sadism. (And if the team has been slaughtered and you need revenge, dice some habañero peppers and insert them stealthily into the sausage slices!)
Above all, have fun. It's Super Bowl Sunday and it only comes once a year!
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