Sausage Recipes

Instead of using peppers in her sausage heroes, F&W’s Kay Chun opts for sweet sautéed fennel.

A big pot of simmering red sauce makes chef April Bloomfield think of the home kitchen of her former boss Ruth Rogers. This is Bloomfield's version of the sauce, with sausage and big pieces of fresh fennel added. “I just love slow-cooked fennel,” she says. “It gives the dish a nice, soft creaminess with the slightly bouncy sausage.”

Chowchow is a sweet-and-sour relish. The chowchow here is studded with pieces of charred and crunchy onions, which have a smoky flavor that’s delicious with grilled sausage. The chowchow is perfect with all types of grilled meat or poultry or as a hot dog relish.

Using sausage in burgers is a smart shortcut, because the meat is already seasoned.

Stewing the bell peppers in red wine gives them richness; so does a generous garnish of grated pecorino cheese. The stewed sausages and peppers are also delicious tossed with pasta.

Jess Jackson asks for this ersatz gumbo every time he visits his Kentucky farm. “He always says, ‘We should have this once a week,’” Amber Huffman says. Then, when he’s about halfway through the bowl—‘OK, twice a week.’ It’s not authentic gumbo, but Creole flavors have crept up to Kentucky.”

Use mild or hot Italian sausage, according to your preference, in this updated classic. We call for red bell peppers but you can use green or one of each color. Plain spaghetti can replace the whole-wheat, too.

A good-quality, at least slightly hot mustard from France, Germany, or England is the perfect accompaniment for this. Put a dollop on your plate and dip each forkful into it.

In Germany’s Pfalz region, cooks braise sauerkraut with onions, apples, seasonings, a touch of sugar and a little of the region’s Riesling wine, creating an addictive accompaniment for juicy weisswurst or bratwurst.

Daniel Orr sells a number of Midwestern sausages, including bratwurst. Non-Hoosier sweet Italian sausages will work in this recipe, too. Be sure to use cooking apples that will hold their shape, like Granny Smiths, Winesaps or Rome Beauties.

Hank Shaw first tried sausages made by the Hmong—an ethnic group from Southeast Asia and China—while living in Stockton, California, and St. Paul, two cities with large Hmong communities. This recipe is based on a version by Hmong cookbook author Sheng Yang.

This recipe for lecsó (LEH-tcho), a traditional sausage, tomato and bell pepper stew from Hungary, is made with beer for a deep, rich flavor.

Even though Linton Hopkins’s stew is full of shrimp and sausage, the best part is the delicate lima beans, a Southern staple.

Maria Helm Sinskey has a strategy for parties: there should be a mix of baked, fried and fresh hors d’oeuvres. Besides ensuring that guests don’t overload on one kind of appetizer, she also avoids too much last-minute cooking. These tender potato puffs spiked with spicy sausages are one of her favorite oven-baked starters.

“Sautéed mushrooms can make almost any inexpensive red wine taste better,” says sommelier Jake Kosseff.

Michael White uses dandelion greens to give his slightly spicy sausage pasta a bitter edge, but chicory or escarole makes a great stand-in.

Combining two Portuguese favorites—kale-and-sausage soup and a bean, sausage, and tomato stew—makes a simple, sensational one-pot meal. To keep the focus on the vegetables, we’ve used just a tiny amount of fresh sausage; you can add more, if you like, or substitute dried chorizo or pepperoni.

In this classic Italian dish, sausages are poached in a rich broth until deeply flavored and meltingly tender.

Gary Vaynerchuk’s mother, Tamara, makes Stove Top stuffing every Thanksgiving, and he proudly admits loving it. Its simplicity inspired this recipe by F&W’s Grace Parisi. Using homemade turkey stock gives it a rich flavor, but for a shortcut, use chicken broth instead.

F&W's Kay Chun makes her shortcut choucroute with only five ingredients, not counting salt and pepper.

F&W's Kay Chun likes making these savory muffins for breakfast instead of the more typical sweet muffin.