The guy at King Soopers dealt me a real solid. Multiple times. First, this sausage was much more expensive than shown and it was not marked down. Second, I asked for only four and he threw in two extra without charging. Then he threw in two more of a different kind wrapped separately. So that's 8 sausages for the price of 4, and the price is simply made up. They never were 1 sausage for a dollar. They were marked three times that much.
The sausages are lightly browned on two sides then braised in the oven on low heat for a long time. The moisture inside drips from the top and sort of rains over the layered pot. First the sausages by themselves until they're soft, then taken out and the vegetable portion added with sausage on top so the sausages flavor all the vegetables leaving behind a flavored sauce while becoming so soft that they melt in your mouth. This combination is very good. It makes a lot and it couldn't be more simple.
All of the flavor comes from the sausages. Faint salt is added at the table. It's amazing how much flavor is packed into the sausages. I finished this plate then went right back for another.
Looks good! May I have approximate cooking time for sausages and then, sausages and vegetables? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt was at least a couple of hours for the sausage and then about an hour and half for the vegetables. The heat was low. 300℉ for the sausage, then I took it all out including the liquid so when returned the vegetables are underneath the sausages and it's all coated with the liquid. I turned up the heat to 350℉ to speed it. Checked about 30 minutes later. Turned down to 325℉.
ReplyDeleteI'd say, possibly 4 hours total.
The timing for sausage is fungible. They'll just keep getting softer. The casing actually does melt. It becomes sticky. As it continues then they can get so soft that they'll break when you remove them.
The vegetables less so. I had to learn not to overcook the vegetables.
And I made a serious mistake this time. I used too little liquid for the vegetable portion. It dried out.
My first photos did not look wet at all.
I added pure water and returned the whole thing, and that risked overcooking everything. The result was the potatoes turned brown, the cabbage shrank more and the onions softened considerably. Still, the pot deglazed itself and the gravy is excellent.
So that shows there is a very wide range and a large margin of acceptability.
I'm certain you'll be happy with whatever you try. I bet cauliflower would be good. I avoided carrots and celery, but those would be good too. And no peppers this time, but they would also be very good.
I didn't use any bay leaf and no seasoning at all. No salt, no pepper, no sage, thyme, tarragon, nothing. No mushrooms.
I did add a little red wine but no butter. It was all very slapdash. But man, is it good.
Go with your gut intuition. You can't lose. Plus you can keep checking and make adjustments as you go. I didn't do it this time but before I ate as it cooked because I couldn't keep off it.
The first time I tried this two guys dropped by right at dinnertime so we set the table like a proper dinner. One guy said, "I didn't know that sausages could be this good." Up to then he had only ever had them grilled.
Thanks so much! I'm going to try it this week. I hope I can find a similar sausage.
ReplyDeleteKiełbasa works very well. They're sold with cold cuts and bacon and they look like a horseshoe. I suggest buying two. You can chop them up if you want to.
ReplyDeleteI can't recall ever seeing gyros in sausage form. Love the seasoning in gyros so I'll search for the sausage. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt's the first time I've ever seen it. (It has pork in it too, not just lamb) I think they made it right there at King Soopers. That's why the guy gave me two apple and chicken sausages. After I talked to him awhile and told him my intention he became interested in my opinion of his sausage. And they never do that. He told me his name and told me to come back and ask for him to report my opinion. (of his apple-chicken sausage)
ReplyDeleteIf you live in Denver, maybe Oliver's might have some. (expensive) They like to experiment with weird sausages like duck and elk and buffalo and apricot and other strange sausage ingredients.
I thought gyros was a great idea.