A Crazy Combination

This summer my sister April of A. Liz Adventures posted about a recipe of Ina Garten's for Roasted Sausage and Grapes.  I must admit, the thought of combining sausage and cooked grapes grossed me out.  I thought not only would the flavor be off-putting, but the consistency of the two main ingredients would just not be right.  Well, I stand corrected.

Over Christmas we went to my Aunt Karen's house for a few days. For our second night there, we went with a Mediterranean theme. Part of the main course was Roasted Sausage and Grapes.   She gets her sausage from a local pork shop in Raleigh, and boy was it a sight.  I've never seen a link of sausage so big, we had to take a picture to capture the moment. 

Once it was served I took a portion to be polite, and then I quickly went back for seconds.  The flavor was absolutely amazing.  Sweet and savory at the same time, but not overly sweet.  What a combination.  Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try.  You won't be dissappointed!

Roasted Sausages and Grapes

1 package sausage, sliced diagonally
3 cups red or green grapes
1 T. unsalted butter
Few glugs red wine
Few glugs balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Melt butter over medium heat in a cast iron skillet, and when it starts turning golden brown, add in the grapes and stir with a wooden spoon to coat them.  Slightly raise heat and add red wine.  Stir for a few minutes while the wine reduces.
3. Add sliced sausages to the grapes and stir together.  Transfer immediately to the preheated oven.  Roast 20 minutes, turning once midway, until the sausages are brown and the grapes are very soft.
4. Put your skillet back onto the stovetop, and over medium heat, add the balsamic vinegar.  Allow juices to reduce.

Recipe Courtesy of A. Liz Adventures