Oh, yum. Thanks for writing up the thought process.

I had to look up 'pottage' to try to figure out what sort of a dish this was intended to make, as my first read through the recipe generated an expectation of a thin soup. Your description sounds much more appetizing.

It's interesting to think of what would be available when. For casual purposes, I think my favorite German sausages would be good... they have a nutmeg flavor that would play nicely with this kind of seasoning.