One of my favorite suppers is a good sausage with warm potato salad. I love the way the sausage juices mingle with the tender new potatoes bathed in a mustardy vinaigrette—a very French taste that makes me nostalgic.

　　

Ingredients

2 or 3 new potatoes

　　1 or 2 large sausages, such as sweet Italian, Polish kielbasa, chorizo, or hard-to-find French garlic sausage

　　2 teaspoons oil

　　A splash of red wine

　　

Dressing

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

　　A good pinch of salt

　　1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　3 scallions, sliced

　　2 or 3 fresh sprigs parsley, chopped

　　

Step 1

Boil the potatoes in a small pot with plenty of water for about 20 minutes, or until tender. After about 10 minutes, prick the sausages and put them in a small skillet that you’ve rubbed with oil. Brown on both sides, and cook slowly, turning occasionally, for a total of about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the dressing by mixing all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. When the potatoes are ready, drain them and cut them into fairly thick slices (no need to peel them, unless you prefer to). Toss the warm potatoes with the vinaigrette. At this point, the sausages should be ready. Remove them to a plate, and add a splash of red wine to the pan, cooking it down quickly until it is syrupy. Pour this bit of pan juice over however much of the sausage you plan to eat right away, and serve it to yourself with the warm potato salad.

　　

Second Round

Step 2

I’ve deliberately called for more sausage here than I would eat in one sitting, because I like to have some cooked sausage in the fridge to use in a frittata or an omelet or a hearty soup, or to add to a pasta sauce. It’s very handy. So determine for yourself how much sausage you want to cook.

　　The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.