Bite Of MN: Sausage With Apples & Onions
Are you in the fall mood yet? The seasons have done their official change which means it's full steam ahead for everything fall, including apples. Last Saturday I picked up a bag of Haralson apples from the apple guy at the Midtown Farmers Market. I've been buying from him for years and he always has great apples. He's quite helpful too; just tell him what you like (crisp and tart for me) and he'll suggest a variety or two. You can also find him at the Kingfield Market on Sundays.
A few apples went into our lunches, but I also wanted to do some cooking using apples as a main ingredient. I pulled out a few local cookbooks and came across a great recipe from Beth Dooley's most recent cookbook, "The Northern Heartland Kitchen" that used apples, sausage, and onions for a main dish. The recipe called for uncooked sweet Italian sausage but to save some time, I went with pre-cooked links. She suggests serving this with a warm baguette and it's also excellent all by itself. I've included my adapted recipe below.
Sausage with Apples and Onions
Adapted from "The Northern Heartland Kitchen" by Beth Dooley
(serves 4)
1 lb. sausage links (already cooked)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion
4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
¼ to ½ cup apple cider
Slice sausage links into ½-inch slices. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add one tablespoon of butter to the pan. Once melted, add sausage slices and cook until crisped, flipping halfway through. Transfer the sausage to a platter and cover to keep warm.
Add two tablespoons of butter to the skillet, add onion, and cook until tender, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add apples and sauté until apples and onions are slightly browned. Pour enough cider in the pan to cover the bottom. Stir to release any of the browned bits sticking to the bottom, then reduce the liquid to create a thick glaze. Spoon the apples and onions over the sausage and top with chopped sage.
Disclaimer: The University of Minnesota Press sent me a review copy of "The Northern Heartland Kitchen" when the book was released in 2011. I am under no obligation to write about it.
