Friday, March 5, 2010

Simple Suppers: Grilled Chicken Sausage With Roasted Asparagus And Polenta (Plus Music On Tap Featuring Blitzen Trapper)


Happy Friday!

I can't believe how quickly the week has flown by.  Today, I thought I'd share one of my favorite quick dinners to throw together:  Grilled Chicken Sausage With Roasted Asparagus And Polenta.

I always keep a stash of spicy chicken sausages in my fridge, ready to pop into braised cassoulet or a meaty ragu sauce at a moment's notice.  However, they're great by themselves, too.  Simply throw them into a grill pan or onto a grill, and presto chango, you have the centerpiece for a great meal.  I served these grilled sausages over a soft polenta and topped the whole dish with lovely organic asparagus that I roasted in the oven.  This is a healthy, complete meal that cooks up in a flash!  So check it out!

Grilled Chicken Sausage With Roasted Asparagus And Polenta
Serves 2 people
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 chicken sausages
1/2 cup polenta (grits)
2 cups filtered water
1/4 cup parmesan reggiano, grated
1 bunch asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Snap the tips of the asparagus and place them in a roasting pan.  Drizzle them with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, add the 2 cups of filtered water, polenta (grits) and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a pot and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 5 minutes or until they reach desired consistency.  Stir in the parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To cook the sausages, heat a grill pan or a grill to medium high heat.  Halve the sausages down the middle and grill them with the center part down for about 3-4 minutes or until cooked.  Flip over and grill for another few minutes.


To plate, spoon a heaping portion of the soft polenta onto a plate.  Top with a chicken sausage and the roasted asparagus.  Enjoy!

Source For Ingredients
organic andouille chicken sausages (Applegate Farms), organic grits and organic olive oil from Whole Foods

organic asparagus from Trader Joe's

parmesan reggiano from Surfas

Music On Tap


Blitzen Trapper - Furr

Great album from this Portland, Oregon band that fuses Americana with an edgy punk attitude - sort of a Ryan Adams meets Eliott Smith vibe.  I discovered the album in Kuzak's car and can't stop listening to it.  Love it!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for mentioning Applegate Organic Andouille Sausage! It’s gluten, casein and dairy free! Thanks, Renee and the Applegate Crew. http://bit.ly/dulDHa

    ReplyDelete