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Quarantine Kitchen: Roasted sausages with grapes, onions

Food@DominionPost.com

 In The Dominion Post’s ongoing Wednesday feature, Quarantine Kitchen, we highlight dishes prepared by readers, staffers and chefs at our local restaurants, in an effort to keep us connected through food.

This week, reader and foodie extraordinaire Penny Pugh shares another of her dinner favorites: Roasted sausages and with grapes and onions. 

“[My recipe] is one from Melissa Clark at NYT,” Pugh said, referring to the New York Times. “Do you have it?  It was literally the first time I had ever roasted grapes and OMG, fabulous.”

Having made this myself, using vegetarian sausages rather than the real deal, I can back Pugh up on this.

The roasted grapes offer the perfect complement to the sweet, roasted onion and the savory, salty taste of  sausage.

As Clark states in her original recipe, this dish can be made with any type of sausage. Chorizo will make it spicier. Bratwurst or chicken-and-apple will have a milder flavor. Italian sausages will bring the fennel-y notes you love so much. 

 Whatever you prefer, whatever you have handy — throw it on a sheet pan tonight with some grapes, some onion and a few seasonings and enjoy a real flavor sensation.

That’s right — one pan. No muss, no fuss. Just a wholly delicious meal that’ll warm you up on a winter night.

Penny Pugh is a huge fan of the roasted grapes in this sausage sheet-pan meal, made using a recipe from the New York Times.

OMG, fabulous.

ROASTED SAUSAGES WITH GRAPES AND ONIONS

  • 1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups seedless red grapes (1 1/4 pounds), destemmed
  • 1 teaspoon fennel, coriander, cumin or caraway seeds, lightly crushed
  • 1 pound any sausages, poked all over with a fork
  • 1/2 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or sherry vinegar, plus more to taste

Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a large (13-by-18-inch) rimmed baking sheet, toss together onion slices, 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper, and spread in an even layer. Roast for 8 to12 minutes, until the onions turn translucent and the thinnest pieces take on a pale gold color at the edges.

After 10 minutes, add grapes, seeds and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pan with onions, and toss well. Spread in an even layer and nestle sausage into the mixture.

Roast until sausage has browned, 25 to 30 minutes, flipping sausage and tossing grapes and onions halfway through.

Transfer sausages to a platter or to individual plates. Add parsley and chives to pan with grapes and onions and gently toss (this warms up and wilts the herbs). Use a slotted spoon to transfer grapes and onions to plates with the sausages.

Add vinegar to rimmed baking sheet and scrape up any browned bits on the tray. Drizzle pan juices over the grapes and sausages, taste and sprinkle more salt or vinegar on top, if desired.

Recipe submitted by Penny Pugh, originally by Melissa Clark, New York Times