Grabbing Life by the Grapes (and Sausage)

“Ask and ye shall receive”

Or procrastinate long enough and something close to your initial request is likely to show up.

The latter was clearly the case today.  I was about to put an appeal out to you good people to suggest something different to try for dinner tonight, when I got an email from my cousin on Prince Edward Island recommending this recipe.  Roasted sausages with grapes.

I can already sense the raised eyebrows, and lips puckered in a sneer akin to “is that poo on my lip?!”  There are some meat purists out there who insist that fruit and meat should never cross paths.  They will never know the joy of prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe, or salami and figs, and most likely, they’ve stopped reading by now because they’re unwilling to try sausage with grapes.

There is a glimmer of hope, though.  An enticement, if you will.  Now, my cousin is married to a lovely fellow who is a born and raised potato farmer, and is about as meat-and-potatoes of an individual as you could ever hope to meet. The fact that this recipe survived the trial, and his spud-insistent palate is all the proof I require to allow this meal through to the next round.

Congratulations, Sausage with Grapes, you’re still in the running towards becoming my Next Experimental Dinner.

Now, I feel the need to disclose that although I served it as a main dish, I think it’s probably better suited to being a party food.  Served on a plate, hot and sizzling, with toothpicks to harpoon the sausages and grapes with, and maybe some sort of gorgeous bread alongside for mopping up the juices. 

5 Italian sausages

2 cups seedless grapes (stems removed… obviously)

2-3 Tbsp butter or oil

4-6 Tbsp red wine

¼ - ½ tsp hot paprika or cayenne (optional)

1 tsp dried savory or oregano (optional)

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450°

Start by pre-boiling the sausages for about 6 or 7 minutes, piercing the skins to let some of the fat out.

Heat oil (med-high heat) in a large roasting pan or Dutch oven on the stovetop.  Add the grapes and stir until coated with the oil.  Add red wine, paprika and savory, stirring until the liquid is reduced by half.

Remove sausages from water, and cut into rounds of equal length to the diameter of the sausage (*note: you could just leave them whole, but I like to increase the surface area to be browned up in the oven). 

Add sausage to grapes and mix thoroughly.  You may add a bit more red wine at this point if you want.

Pop into oven, and roast for about 25 minutes, stirring on occasion for even browning of the sausage.

Place roasting pan back on to stovetop, and (over med-high heat) add balsamic vinegar.  Stir until vinegar reduces slightly and juices thicken into a syrup.

Pour onto a platter and serve.

As I mentioned up top, I'm uncertain what to pair this with to serve it as a main course.  I'm totally open to suggestions, though.  This dish was too good to be relegated to the land of novelty, but just far enough off the beaten path to confuse me.  Ideas, anyone?

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