Just by chance the other day, I happened to catch a portion of Jacques Pepin's cooking show on PBS, More Fast Food My Way. What good fortune! He was preparing a sausage roll, laden with pistachios and dried mushrooms - what an interesting combination. I soon discovered it's a very tasty combination as well!
Instead of cooking the sausage in a saucepan as the recipe called for, we opted to smoke cook it on our Weber gas grill over indirect heat for about an hour. As you'd expect, the mesquite smoke gently penetrated the sausage during the slow cooking process, and helped to create an even more remarkable dish.
In the unlikely event that there are leftovers (well, there's always a chance!), slices of the sausage roll are also good at room temperature, on crackers or toast.
Pepin's sausage roll was even more delicious with a light mesquite smoke.
Roast Sausage with Potatoes
1/3 cup dried black trumpet mushrooms, or substitute dried porcini mushrooms if they are easier to find
1 pound ground pork, about 18-20% fat
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
2 teaspoons curing salt, preferably Morton Tender Quick
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons dry white wine
To prepare the sausage
- Cover the dried mushrooms with 1 cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil gently for about 10 minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated. Drain well and coarsely chop.
- Mix the mushrooms and all the remaining sausage ingredients together. Wrap in plastic wrap to create a log about 10 inches long and 1-1/2 inches thick. Let cure for at least 48 hours in the refrigerator or as long as 1 week.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, split into halves
15 small Red Bliss potatoes, about 1-1/2 pounds, peeled and halved
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To cook the sausage
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Unroll the sausage from the plastic wrap very carefully, so as not to break it, and place in the saucepan. Brown on all sides over low heat, turning it gently, for 6-8 minutes.
- Add the onion and potatoes, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Turn the sausage and potatoes after 15 minutes so that they brown all around.
- Remove the sausage to a platter and sprinkle the potatoes with the salt and pepper. Transfer the potatoes and onions to a warm serving platter. Slice the sausage, arrange next to the potatoes and onions, and serve.