Roasted Sausages with Red Grapes

This recipe is from the blog Orangette (I think that so far, 95% of the recipes I tried from there have been excellent – you should really check it out). I doubled the quantities so that we would have leftovers for a second dinner, but you can use the original quantities if you wish, of course. This was absolutely divine, and perfect for the winter that’s finally here. I served them with green beans with caramelized onions and almonds, but they would be great with mashed potatoes too.

4-5 mild chicken or pork sausages
1 lb seedless red grapes
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, or to taste
salt

Preheat the oven to 475 °F.

Heat a heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Lay the sausages in the skillet, and cook them, turning once, until nicely browned, about 8 minutes total.



While the sausages are cooking, remove the grapes from their stems, rinse them under cool water, drain them, and place them in a bowl. Add the olive oil, and toss.



When the sausages are browned, place them in an 8-inch square baking dish, and dump the grapes on top of and around them. Slide the dish into the oven, and bake for 25 minutes, turning the sausages once after about 15 minutes.



Remove the pan from the oven, and move the sausages to a platter or individual plates. Pour the grapes and their juices into a small saucepan, season with a pinch of salt, and place the saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the grapes bubble and sizzle and their juices are syrupy. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vinegar, and pour the grapes over the sausages. Serve.