POLENTA WITH SAUSAGES AND TOMATO-OLIVE RAGOUT

“And men sit down to that nourishment which is called supper.” – William Shakespeare.

When it is a rainy January night and you live half way up a mountain one craves warming, simple comfort food.  Our nephew Brett and his wife Fiona were entertaining us.  What a delight to walk into  their new home and smell the rich aroma of dinner cooking.    Perfectly grilled lamb sausages served on mashed potatoes with a fresh tomato sauce.   A supper  so delicious I repeated a slightly different version on this dreary winter day.

This recipe is composed of several parts.  Each quite simple, but the sum total of their parts is an outstanding dish perfect for a family supper or casual entertaining.  You can vary the recipe by your choice of sausages.  We are fortunate that our local Ladner  village grocery store,  Budget Foods,  carries several varieties of Italian pork sausages  from A. BOSA (a class act Italian grocery store in Vancouver).

Polenta is a staple of northern Italy and  its hearty character is best accented by the robust flavours of the savory ragout.   SAUSAGES WITH TOMATO-OLIVE RAGOUT AND POLENTA  is indeed nourishment which is called supper.

BANGERS AND MUSTARD MASH

This is an elegant take on an earthy  old-fashioned English dish.  Delicious lamb sausages and sublime mashed potatoes, humble and wonderful.   Our son Callum arrived   hungry for dinner after a long day of hard work landscaping  his yard.   Comfort food was called for.   It’s easy.  Just fire up the barbecue and put the potatoes on to cook.   You’ll have dinner before you finish your glass of wine.

BANGS AND MUSTARD MASH  serves 4-6 people

2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered (kosher salt)

4 tbs. unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream or crème fraÎche

2 tsp. whole-grain mustard

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds fresh  lamb, veal or chicken sausages (8 large sausages)

Cook the potatoes in a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon of salt and enough water to cover the potatoes.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender.  Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the saucepan.

Add the butter, milk, cream and beat the potatoes in the pan with a handheld mixer until very smooth and creamy.  (or use your stand mixer)  Add a little extra milk if they’re too stiff.  Mix in the  mustard, l tablespoon salt, and the pepper.  Place the potatoes in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water and keep hot for up to 30 minutes, until ready to serve.   (You may need to add more hot milk from time to time.)

Grill your sausages and transfer to a plate, wrap with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

To serve, mount a generous portion of potatoes on a dinner plate and top with grilled sausages that  have been cut in half diagonally.

With this dish I served baby carrots simmered in chicken stock until the stock is reduced to  a silky glaze on your carrots. then sprinkled with sea salt and topped with a knob of butter.  Sublime.

The recipe is from Ina Garten’s book BAREFOOT CONTESSA  HOW EASY IS THAT?

Bon Appetit