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Savory Cooking with Fruit
Recipe
50 min

Italian Sausage with Grapes and Balsamic Vinegar

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Italian Sausage with Grapes and Balsamic Vinegar
Author: America's Test Kitchen

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 8, 2024

This humble Italian supper celebrates the natural pairing of sweet and savory. But to make it great, we had to test every possible way to cook sausage.

Time

50 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Why This Recipe Works

Italian sausage with grapes is a great example of the affinity that pork and fruit flavors have for one another. We wanted to pay homage to this simple Italian dish and highlight the attributes that make it so appealing. Taking inspiration from a potsticker cooking method, we use a combination of sautéing and steaming to produce sausages that are nicely browned but moist and juicy. Building the sauce in the same skillet, we cook down seedless red grapes and thinly sliced onion until caramelized to create a sweet but complex sauce. White wine, in addition to balsamic vinegar, lends the dish acidity and complements the grapes. Oregano and pepper contribute earthiness and a touch of spice, while a finish of fresh mint adds brightness.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ½ pounds sweet Italian sausage
1 pound seedless red grapes, halved lengthwise (3 cups)
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon pepper
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Equipment

Chef's knife

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Arrange sausages in pan and cook, turning once, until browned on 2 sides, about 5 minutes. Tilt skillet and carefully remove excess fat with paper towel. Distribute grapes and onion over and around sausages. Add water and immediately cover. Cook, turning sausages once, until they register between 160 and 165 degrees and onions and grapes have softened, about 10 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    Be careful when removing excess fat in the skillet with paper towels. For added safety, use tongs to hold the paper towels before adding them to the skillet.
  2. Transfer sausages to paper towel–lined plate and tent with aluminum foil. Return skillet to medium-high heat and stir pepper and salt into grape-onion mixture. Spread grape-onion mixture in even layer in skillet and cook without stirring until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is well browned and grapes are soft but still retain their shape, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Reduce heat to medium, stir in wine and oregano, and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until wine is reduced by half, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in vinegar.
    Recipe Tip
    It's important to spread the onions and grapes evenly across the surface area of the skillet. That will allow more even contact with the heat of the skillet so the onions and grapes brown at the same rate.
  3. Arrange sausages on serving platter and spoon grape-onion mixture over top. Sprinkle with mint and serve.
    Recipe Tip
    These sausages taste delicious on their own, but could also be served with creamy polenta, buttered noodles, or a crusty loaf of bread.

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Italian Sausage with Grapes and Balsamic Vinegar

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 8, 2024

Time

50 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Italian Sausage with Grapes and Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 ½ pounds sweet Italian sausage1 pound seedless red grapes, halved lengthwise (3 cups)1 onion, halved and sliced thin¼ cup water¼ teaspoon pepper⅛ teaspoon salt¼ cup dry white wine1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Arrange sausages in pan and cook, turning once, until browned on 2 sides, about 5 minutes. Tilt skillet and carefully remove excess fat with paper towel. Distribute grapes and onion over and around sausages. Add water and immediately cover. Cook, turning sausages once, until they register between 160 and 165 degrees and onions and grapes have softened, about 10 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    Be careful when removing excess fat in the skillet with paper towels. For added safety, use tongs to hold the paper towels before adding them to the skillet.
  2. Transfer sausages to paper towel–lined plate and tent with aluminum foil. Return skillet to medium-high heat and stir pepper and salt into grape-onion mixture. Spread grape-onion mixture in even layer in skillet and cook without stirring until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is well browned and grapes are soft but still retain their shape, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Reduce heat to medium, stir in wine and oregano, and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until wine is reduced by half, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in vinegar.
    Recipe Tip
    It's important to spread the onions and grapes evenly across the surface area of the skillet. That will allow more even contact with the heat of the skillet so the onions and grapes brown at the same rate.
  3. Arrange sausages on serving platter and spoon grape-onion mixture over top. Sprinkle with mint and serve.
    Recipe Tip
    These sausages taste delicious on their own, but could also be served with creamy polenta, buttered noodles, or a crusty loaf of bread.
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