It’s tempting to take fond for granted, but you mustn’t. Though unassuming in appearance, the bronzed bits that form on the bottom of a pan as meat juices sizzle, evaporate, and brown are pure flavor, and the more of it that you can create, the meatier, richer, and all-around better-tasting your food will be.
Fond was on my mind as I conceived a trio of simple, sausage-centric one-pot meals. I wanted the umami goodness of the links to permeate the whole shebang, and sticky, flavorsome fond was the answer. Deglazed and melted into a braising liquid, it would carry porky richness out of the sausage casings and into the entire dish.
As luck would have it, a sausage-cooking technique that we’ve come to love does a great job of maximizing fond. Start by simmering the links in water in a lidded pan to keep the initial temperature low and gentle to cook the meat through. Once the sausages start to swell, pierce the taut casings with the tip of a knife. Now remove the lid so that the precious released liquid can evaporate and brown, coating the pan with an expanse of flavor.
Pricking the links before too much pressure has built up inside the casings is vital, as it allows the meat to exude just enough fat and moisture to create a generous fond but not so much that the meat’s succulence is diminished.
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Science: A Surprising Way to Maximize Fond
Simply searing sausages in oil results in a patchy, paltry fond (left). To develop a savory veneer across the entire pan (right) to enrich the braising liquid, first simmer the links in water and then pierce them to release fat and juices that will evaporate and brown as the meat sears.
From there, I used liquid (wine and beer are terrific here) to dislodge the meaty treasures glued to the pan, thus creating a rich braising medium for the beans, vegetables, and/or fruits that round out the meal.
My first dish takes influence from the Iberian peninsula and calls for hot Italian sausage as an easier-to-find stand-in for fresh chorizo. Rustic and satisfying, this spin on caldo verde is deglazed with red wine and packed with earthy kale, creamy cannellini beans, garlic, smoked paprika, and sherry vinegar.
My other two recipes rely on bratwurst. Mild and smooth, relatively neutral fresh pork brats fit seamlessly into a Germanic medley of Golden Delicious apples, sauerkraut, potatoes, lager, and caraway seeds and into a mashup that swings Sicilian with fresh navel oranges and fennel bulbs, white wine, and buttery Castelvetrano olives.
One-Pan Spicy Sausage with Cannellini Beans and Kale
To infuse every bite of a meal with porky goodness, we leverage fond, the savory superstar of the kitchen.
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One-Pan Spicy Sausage with Cannellini Beans and Kale For Two
To infuse every bite of a meal with porky goodness, we leverage fond, the savory superstar of the kitchen.
Get the Recipe
One-Pan Bratwurst with Fennel, Olives, and Oranges
To infuse every bite of a meal with porky goodness, we leverage fond, the savory superstar of the kitchen.
Get the Recipe
One-Pan Bratwurst with Fennel, Olives, and Oranges For Two
To infuse every bite of a meal with porky goodness, we leverage fond, the savory superstar of the kitchen.
Get the Recipe
One-Pan Bratwurst with Potatoes, Apples, and Sauerkraut
To infuse every bite of a meal with porky goodness, we leverage fond, the savory superstar of the kitchen.
Get the Recipe
One-Pan Bratwurst with Potatoes, Apples, and Sauerkraut For Two
To infuse every bite of a meal with porky goodness, we leverage fond, the savory superstar of the kitchen.
Get the Recipe
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