Kick Off Summer With Grilled Sausages and Good Company

The long days of summer deserve to be shared with friends and good food. JeanMarie Brownson/TNS

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and proves the perfect time to gather with friends. The goal is to spend as much time as possible outdoors. The food and drinks for the occasion should be easygoing. Especially for the cook.

Over the years, we’ve learned to be flexible, the weather might not always cooperate. If it’s sunny, fire up the grill and cook over an open flame to get that char and flavor. Storms on the menu? Employ a hot oven as a grill alternative.

This year we’re cooking up a platter of assorted sausages—everything from garlicky thuringer to smoked Polish sausage, spicy andouille, mild bratwurst, and Bockwurst. If the crowd dictates, we add in all-natural beef hot dogs and seasoned chicken sausages.

To keep the cooking time to a minimum, select fully cooked sausages. These varieties only need a brief time browning on the grill or in the oven to render them hot and juicy. For interest, offer a variety of breads to create sandwiches, such as poppy seed rolls, hearty sausage buns, and segments of fresh French baguette.

Set out several condiments, including prepared fresh horseradish, ketchup, and a variety of mustards and barbecue sauces. Arrange small bowls of pickled sport peppers, sweet and dill pickles, fresh tomato wedges, and lettuce for guests to customize their own sandwich.

Serving one or two homemade toppings proves a welcome addition. One option is to stir prepared horseradish and Dijon mustard into sour cream as a topping delicious with smoked sausages.

Our favorite bratwurst and hot dog topping starts with golden, sauteed onions sweetened with apple and made tangy with whole grain mustard. These mustardy, sweet onions will keep refrigerated for a week or more. It’s also a great condiment to have on hand for burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and as a topping for grilled pork chops or turkey cutlets

Baked beans, loaded with bacon and sweetened with maple syrup, are standard picnic fare. As an alternative, we’re mixing red chile-spike cabbage with jumbo lima beans, aka butter beans. These spicy beans can be made several days in advance and reheated in the microwave oven.

Cook at least the number of sausages as you have guests; we have a few friends who will happily eat two or more. Plan accordingly and know that leftovers taste just fine.

Grilled Sausages With Mustardy Sweet Onions

Makes 12 servings

• 2 tablespoons each: vegetable oil, butter
• 2 jumbo sweet onions, halved, very thinly sliced
• 1 small golden apple, peeled, cored, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
• 2 to 4 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• Salt, freshly ground pepper
• 12 assorted fully-cooked sausages, total about 3 pounds
• 12 assorted sausage buns, toasted if desired
• Assorted condiments such as mustards, ketchup, barbecue sauce, horseradish, for serving

Heat oil and butter in a large (12- to 14-inch) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened and golden, about 20 minutes. Stir in apple and garlic; cook until onions start to brown, about 10 more minutes. Stir in wine, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-high to reduce the pan juices to a glaze. Remove from heat. (Mixture can be covered and refrigerated up to several days; reheat before serving.)

Prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered with gray ash, or preheat a gas grill to medium-hot. Place the cooking grate in place and let it heat a few minutes.

Place sausages on grill directly over the heat source. Cover the grill and cook, without turning for 4 minutes. Turn sausages. Cover the grill and cook 2 minutes more. Turn sausages. Cover the grill and cook to brown on all sides, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat to a platter.

Serve sausages with buns. Pile warm onion mixture and other condiments on sausages as desired.

Recipe Note: Sausages can be cooked in a single, uncrowded layer in a cast-iron skillet or on a sheet pan in a 425 degree F oven, turning often, until browned and heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Jumbo Beans With Red Chili and Cabbage

If you use packaged, shredded cabbage, you can skip the first salting step. Other beans that can be used here include canned large white beans or kidney beans.

Makes 6 servings

• 1/2 small head green cabbage, about 12 ounces
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mild red chili powder, such as gochugaru or guajillo (or sriracha to taste)
• 3 cans (16 ounces each) butter beans
• Chopped fresh chives, parsley, cilantro, or a combination

Finely shred the cabbage and sprinkle with salt. Let stand in a colander for 20 to 30 minutes, squeezing it regularly so it wilts slightly.

Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet. Cook cabbage and onion until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, ketchup, tomato paste, vinegar, and chili powder. Cook and stir until cabbage is well coated and soft, about 10 minutes more.

Strain beans in a colander, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Stir beans and reserved liquid into cabbage mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 20 minutes. Serve warm, garnished with herbs.

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