in good taste, vol. 41: staying the course
kitchen sink sausage mealtime is better than it sounds
Clearly, I’ve spent some time away from this newsletter. I thought I might change its format, or give it a bit more structure, like an editorial calendar or link-testing or whatever. Reader, I … didn’t do any of that.
It occurred to me that all I was really doing was, once again, trying to make a fun thing into a work thing. Like turning this silly little email into another whole-brained job, complete with strategy and audiences and purpose and planning. Frankly, I do quite enough of all that already, for over 40 hours a week. The thought of doing more of it made me really tense and frazzled. I needed to recalibrate.
So this is a meandering way of saying that I hope you still like what you signed up for, just about a year ago (for most of you). Which is, basically, good stuff to impress yourself and others with, delivered weeklyish.
DOES IT SPARK JOY, THOUGH
On “doing what you love” l o l
Latest in dreamscape real estate abroad: Pierre Cardin’s “bubble palace” in the South of France x Jeremy Irons’s Irish castle x Massimo Bottura’s Casa Maria Luigia in my dream town of Modena, Italy
A nice, soothing collection of pleasant Internet things
SHEET-PAN SAUSAGE SALAD: THE KITCHEN SINK RECIPE
We moved last week, and saved boxing up the old kitchen for last. Inevitably such a situation requires you to get creative with what’s in the refrigerator, to minimize waste but also … not have to pack more.
I found the meat of this sausage sheet-pan recipe on NYT Cooking, and made some modifications, but all in all this is an ideal kitchen-sink kind of dinner, really customizable, and deliciously vinegary. It’s also minimal cleanup if you play your cards right :)
INGREDIENTS
3-4 mild Italian sausages
~12 oz. of mixed mushrooms, chopped into quarters (shiitake, maitake, and enoki are great options, but you can do just baby bella/button if that’s what you have access to)
Olive oil
S&P to taste
Za’atar to taste
Dash of honey/agave/sugar
1 tbsp. whole-grain, Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. EVOO
3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (ACV)
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ or so bunch of kale, de-stemmed and shredded (can also use fresh arugula, raw, if you’re not into kale)
½ baguette or other crusty bread, ripped into crouton-sized pieces
Fresh grated Parmesan
WHAT TO DO:
Preheat the oven to 450. Make little score-cuts on both sides of your sausages, being careful not to slice all the way through, then add to a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil on both sides. In a large bowl, toss your mushrooms with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of za’atar, and add to the sheet pan. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the sausage is cooked through.
In the bowl you used for your mushrooms, add 3 tbsp. olive oil, 3 tbsp. of ACV, garlic clove, salt, pepper, 1 tbsp. mustard, a pinch of za’atar and a dash of agave or honey, whisking the oil in slowly until emulsified.
Combine your “croutons” and kale in another big bowl, massaging the kale to soften it. Pour your dressing over the mixture, reserving about a tablespoon (you can always make more by following the directions above, and put in a mason jar for future salads). The bread shouldn’t be drenched, but it should be somewhat glossy with dressing.
Take mushrooms and sausages out of the pan, and swap them with the kale and croutons. Bake (/Roast? Toast? I don’t know) for about 10 minutes, then combine them all and add a bit more dressing if you’ve got it. Top with Parmesan.