LAMB SAUSAGE

Lamb Sausage image

I always tell people that I want Bar Americain to feel French but taste American. This is a classic bistro or brasserie dish that you would find in Europe, and by making it my own, perhaps with a California Zinfandel wine and vinegar, I think we manage to do just that-feel French, taste American. This is an incredibly comforting dish capable of warming your whole being on a cold fall or winter's day. I like the spicy heat of merguez sausage in this dish, but you could certainly use another variety of lamb or even pork sausage if you so choose.

Yield Serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

1/2 pound (1 1/2 cups) dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini, or 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans white beans
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 links merguez sausage (about 1 pound)
4 tablespoons canola oil
3 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced (see page 250)
1/4 cup Zinfandel vinegar or other red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons honey
Zinfandel Glaze (recipe follows)
1 (750-ml) bottle red Zinfandel
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
(makes about 3/4 cup)

Steps:

If using dried beans, cover them by at least 2 inches with cold water and let soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain the beans, put them in a medium pot, and cover by 2 inches with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt, lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain well if needed.
If using canned beans, drain them, rinse well in cold water, and drain again.
Heat a grill pan or sauté pan over high heat. Brush the sausage with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil and grill or sauté until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the shallots and garlic, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Put the beans in a large bowl and add the shallot mixture, vinegar, olive oil, 1/4 cup of the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the mint, and the honey. Season with salt and pepper and stir gently to combine.
Divide the beans among 4 large dinner plates and top with the sausages. Drizzle with some of the Zinfandel glaze and garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon chopped mint
Put the wine in a medium nonreactive saucepan over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat, stir in the honey, and let cool slightly. Whisk in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.