Braised Sausages with Apple, Onion and Hard Cider Sauce
This dish is perfect for a cool fall night's dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 2 pounds veal bratwurst or beef or chicken bratwurst (8 links)
- 4 McIntosh apples, left unpeeled, sliced
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup hard cider
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/3 cup grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 loaf pumpernickel raisin bread, sliced
Preparation
Pre-heat the broiler.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons, and a half inch of water. Prick the sausages and place them into the pan. Cover and bring the liquids to a bubble, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sausages in the water until cooked through, 8-9 minutes. Remove the lid, letting the water cook away and crisp and caramelize the skins of the sausages, 4-5 minutes more.
Remove the sausages from the pan. Add the apples and onions, then season with salt and pepper and cook until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the hard cider, brown sugar and grainy mustard and bring up to a bubble. Add the sausages back to the pan and cook until the liquids have reduced a bit and thickened up, 3-4 minutes.
While everything is simmering, toast a few slices of pumpernickel bread under the broiler and butter them. Serve the sausages with some veggies and buttered pumpernickel toast alongside.
