The Beans and Sausage Recipe I Swear By for Cold Winter Nights
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There comes a point every winter when you have to rally together your arsenal of hot liquid meals. If you have enough recipesall your hot soups, stews, stoups, and chunky saucesthey can get you through to spring. Much to the chagrin of my friends, I call this Hot Bean Season. One of my favorite meals that fits this category is my Dutch oven beans and sausage. Its utterly simple, completely satisfying, and you need absolutely no fancy cooking skills to make it.The reason I come back to this meal again and again is because it uses the Screw It method of cookingjust dump everything in the pot. Well, the initial sausage searing is a must for flavor, but I consider that step part of the Screw It method because it allows me to skip the whole mise en place business: I use the sausages sear time to chop the other two ingredients. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann I like to make this recipe in a Dutch oven. (Dont worry, you dont need a Le Creuset, any of these cheaper ones will do perfectly.) This meal simmers for a little while, and the heavy cast iron of a Dutch oven keeps the low heat evenly distributed while the domed lid redistributes the moisture back into the sauce. That said, you could make this bangin beans and sausage in any heavy-bottomed pot or a big, wide skillet with a well-fitting lid.This dish makes me feel like Im in a cozy tavern on a snowy mountain. Thats never happened to me, but Im confident a meal like this would be available there. I use the entire can of cannellini beans, including the aquafaba. Dont drain those beans, even if you elect to use a different variety like chickpeas or red beans. The viscous liquid is full of helpful proteins and starches that will thicken the sauce beautifully. That liquid will also help dissolve the fond that builds from your seared sausage and create a deeply savory sauce. Dump all of the ingredients over the seared sausage and let it simmer. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann In my opinion, this recipe serves two people with two sausages each, but feel free to double for a bigger group or use a little more of any ingredient to make it fit your style. A couple more potatoes wont harm this dish. If you dont like kale, replace it with raw spinach, chard, mustard greens, or collards.Easy Dutch Oven Beans and Sausage RecipeIngredients:1 tablespoon olive oil4 sausage links4 ribs of lacinato kale2 red potatoes1 clove garlic1 can cannellini beans (liquid included)1 cup chicken broth teaspoon salt (adjustable according to your chicken broth)1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy duty pot, sear the sausage links in the olive oil over medium heat. Rotate them once or twice while they cook.2. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. Roughly chop the kale, cut the potatoes into half-inch cubes, peel and smash the garlic clove.3. Once the sausages have some color on two sides of each link, toss in all of the other ingredients. Give everything a poke to make sure it contacts the broth a bit. Cover it with a well-fitting lid and simmer over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir occasionally to scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pan.4. About five minutes before its finished, smash some of the beans with a wooden spoon to release some of the starches and thicken the sauce even more (if desired). Enjoy with a hunk of crusty bread.
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