This recipe moves outdoor comfort food up a notch, even though its prep and assembly is deceptively simple and direct. And for me it begins with the selection of sausages, and for that we turn to the Alpine Wurst & Meat House of Honesdale, PA. Alpine has been my go-to source for all manner of sausages, mini cocktail franks and such for several years now. Luckily Alpine is available locally thru the Shop Rite chain in CT; but I have also purchased directly thru their online site. I can’t say enough about the quality of their product range. But two words will suffice: just terrific! For this recipe I put their 4 sausage “variety pack” into play: one each of bratwurst, bauernwurst, weisswurst & krainerwurst. Trust me, the selection makes the end result sing!
For wine, either a chilled “bistro” white or red will work here. I selected a Côtes du Rhône Blanc made by one of the Rhône’s preeminent producers: Chapoutier. Well known for making reference point wines in Hermitage, Chapoutier also produces well-made wines on a modest scale. The Belleruche Blanc had plenty of flavor to stand up to the grilled sausages and sides. An Alsatian Pinot Gris would do well here, as would a Dry Riesling from Mosel. On the red side I just tasted an insane Grenache from Navarra, Domaines Lupier ‘El Terroir’ Tinto ’23, that I can highly recommend.
M. Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône Belleruche Blanc ’25 (Rhône, France)
A very attractive and typical white Rhône blend of Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette and Bourboulenc mostly from the right bank of the Rhône with limestone soils. Bright golden yellow hue with intense and expressive aromas of apricot, fennel and floral scents. Complex and very elegant. The wine’s roundness is a perfect match for its freshness. And the finish reveals subtle notes of aniseed.
GRILLED SAUSAGES W/BROCCOLINI & POTATOES
Ingredients
Broccolini
1 bunch of broccolini
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2-3 slices of lemon
Potatoes
2 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp salt
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
Sausages
1 lb Whatever floats your boat
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
A Goodly amount of Ice
Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size. Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming. Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!
2. Preheat Grill to high.
3. Assemble the potatoes. Put the wedges into a small aluminum baking tin, drizzle evenly with olive oil, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, and top with garlic cloves & bay leaves. Seal the tin with aluminum foil tightly.
4. Assemble broccolini. Put the bunch into a small aluminum baking tin, drizzle evenly with olive oil and toss with minced garlic, salt & pepper and top with lemon slices. Seal the tin with aluminum foil tightly.
5. Place tin with potatoes on grill. Cook 10 minutes in covered grill.
6. Add tin with broccolini to the grill and cook an additional 10 minutes
7. Check veggies. Potatoes should be fork tender, and broccolini should be slightly crisp. Adjust cooking time if necessary. Remove from grill.
8. Put sausages on the grill to heat. Turn to heat evenly.
9. Plate. Dig in.
n.b. I modified this recipe for 2. But it is easily scalable. The original recipe called for making “foil packets” for the potatoes and broccolini. Foil packets are a pain in the tail. I find using aluminum tins infinitely more efficient. Also, I use pre-cooked sausages which streamlines the cooking process. If you go the fresh sausage route, then begin cooking the sausages when you put the broccolini on the grill.