Three cheers for the beginning of grilling season! And baseball season! Truth be told, I don't really follow the Braves, or any team for that matter, but I do enjoy going to a couple games every season. I get wrapped up in the excitement. Aside from the game itself, I love hearing the organ (or its electronic equivalent :( ), doing the wave, watching the post-game fireworks, and of course, enjoying a hot dog and a beer!
I haven't made it to a game yet this season, but I did decide to bring ballpark food to my neck of the woods, in the form of drunken sausage with delicious (and mighty attractive, I might add) multi-colored peppers. The fact that this recipe is cheap and easy to make made the meal taste that much better.
This recipe is taken from Dave Lieberman's Young and Hungry, a great cookbook full of low-budget meals that don't look or taste low-budget.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Start out by setting a non-stick, oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Brown a pound of italian sausage (5-6 links) for approximately 10 minutes, turning every few minutes so that the sausage browns on all sides. (The sausage will curl a little bit in this process making it difficult to brown on all sides...don't freak out, it's not a big deal). During this process, poke the sausages a few times with fork to let some of the juices out. When the ten minutes are up, use tongs to move the sausages to a plate.
Thinly slice three peppers (any color combo you want) and three cloves of minced garlic and add them to the pan. Let them hang out in there for about 8 minutes or until just begin to wilt, stirring occasionally. Return the sausage to the pan, nestling the links among the garlic and peppers.
Here comes the fun part! Open a can of beer. Any beer, your choice (I've been using light-colored beer). Taking the pan off heat, add about 1/2 cup, and return the pan to the heat source. When the beer starts to bubble, transfer the pan to the oven. Wait 25-30 minutes and dinner is served! I place a link in a hoagie roll (a little sturdier than a standard hotdog bun, although those will work, too), load on some peppers, and spoon on a little of that beer juice (beer jus?).
Now, for those of us cooking for one, here is what I recommend that you do next. Pull out your aluminum foil. I slice up the sausage links into rounds and lay then on a 12 x 12 (ish) square of foil (1-2 links per square). Add some of the peppers and beer jus, and wrap up, crimping up the sides to ensure a good seal. Label and place in the freezer. Then, next time you need a quick dinner, grab a packet from your freezer and heat at 400F for 10-15 minutes. I don't own a toaster oven, but I think using one would be a great choice here.
So grab a beer and enjoy!
