Good sausages are amazing but there just aren't enough occasions to eat them, so you've got to seize the opportunity when you can. Your living room tailgate is the perfect venue. Stick a fat sausage in a fresh long roll along with a healthy helping of peppers and juice, and you've got yourself a living room feast. The three different colors of peppers really make this dish a standout.

　　Dave's Take: Pick up a very cheap, very clever splatter shield the next time you're in a dollar store. They look like a round piece of screening and have a plastic or metal handle. Set it over the skillet when you're frying or sautéing, and it'll keep the splattering (and cleanup) to a minimum.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 8 to 10 servings

　　2 pounds Italian sausage (I like them with fennel seeds)

　　6 small garlic cloves, pressed

　　1 each red, yellow, and green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into thin strips

　　Salt

　　3 or 4 pinches crushed red pepper

　　3/4 cup (half a can) beer of your choice

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a large, ovenproof, nonstick skillet (no plastic handles!) over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook them, turning once in a while, until they're nice and brown almost all over, about 10 minutes. (They'll curl up a little as they cook, so it'll be hard to brown them on all sides. Don't sweat it.) Poke each link 4 or 5 times with a fork as they cook to release some of their juices.

　　

Step 2

Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside. Press the garlic into the juices in the pan, stir it around until you can smell it, and then add the peppers. Season them lightly with salt and red pepper, and cook about 8 minutes, tossing them around until they're wilted and starting to brown. Add the sausages to the pan.

　　

Step 3

Pour the beer, bring it to a boil, and then put the pan in the oven. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated (you'll want a little to spoon on the sandwiches), the peppers are tender, and the parts of the sausages poking up are browned, 25 to 30 minutes. You can make the sausages and peppers before people come over and then heat them over low heat half an hour beore you're ready to serve. Serve hot along with a basket or plate of hero rolls, split open and ready for stuffing.

　　Reprinted with permission from Young & Hungry by Dave Lieberman. © 2005 Hyperion