Gina: Lord knows I love a hot, sizzling grilled sausage, but sausage served all by its lonesome is kind of like a basic dress without accessories, you know what I’m saying? A classic is always improved by a dash of color and a bit of sass. That’s why this dish is a nice change of pace—pork sausages are braised with an array of peppers (in assorted colors and heat levels), onions, beer, and mustard. The resulting sausages and piquant braising liquid are especially good served atop steamed rice, grilled Italian bread, or creamy grits made with cheese.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 tablespoon canola oil

　　Four 4 ounce links pork sausage

　　1 large onion, thinly sliced

　　1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

　　1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into thin strips

　　1 or 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, cut into thin strips

　　1 yellow Hungarian wax or red Fresno chile pepper (optional), cut into thin strips

　　2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

　　2 tablespoons Creole mustard (see page 93)

　　2 tablespoons honey

　　4 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　12 ounces amber beer

　　1/4 cup malt vinegar

　　3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　Gina’s Perfect Rice (page 27), for serving (optional)

　　

Step 1

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage, and sear for 5 minutes, turning as necessary, until evenly browned. Transfer to a plate, and add to the skillet the onion, bell peppers, jalapeño, chile pepper, garlic, mustard, honey, rosemary, and salt, and toss well to combine. Add the beer and vinegar, and cook for 1 minute, until slightly reduced. Reduce the heat to low, return the sausages to the skillet, cover, and simmer until the peppers soften, the sausage is cooked through, and the sauce begins to reduce and thicken, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

　　

Step 2

Serve the sausage over hot steamed rice, grilled bread, or cheesy grits, if desired, smothered with plenty of the fragrant sauce.

　　From Down Home with the Neelys by Patrick and Gina Neely Copyright (c) 2009 by Patrick and Gina Neely Published by Knopf.Patrick and Gina Neely are owners of Neely's Bar-B-Que in Memphis and hosts of several Food Network shows, including the series Down Home with the Neelys, one of the highest-rated programs to debut on the popular Food Network. High school sweethearts who reconciled at their ten-year reunion, they have been married since 1994. They live in Memphis with their two daughters.Paula Disbrowe collaborated with Susan Spicer on Crescent City Cooking and is the author of Cowgirl Cuisine.