Spicy Italian pork sausage has so much built-in flavor that it will make your snack taste like you cooked all day. I think itโs a total umami bomb where the flavors of the meat and spices collide with the bread, making it addictive. Here I pair the sausage, tomatoes, and peppers with the sweet notes of onions and put it all on crunchy toast. The idea is to get the sausage grease into the mix so that no bit of flavor is left behindโI even toast the bread in the sausage drippings. This bite is great with a cold beer, dry sparkling wine, or nonalcoholic cider to cool the spice . . . make the jam ahead of time and keep in the fridge. – Alex Guarnaschelliย
MAKES 16 TOASTS
Ingredients
ONION JAM
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
CROSTINI
- 5 medium (3 to 4 ounces each) spicy Italian pork sausages
- 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 16 fresh sage leaves (or more, for serving)
- 1 medium baguette, cut into 16 (ยฝ-inch-thick) rounds
- Kosher salt
Instructions
Make the onion jam: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is good and hot, add the oil, then the onions and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they become tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the vinegar.
Cook the sausage: Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels. On a flat surface, use a sharp knife to cut each sausage into five even rounds. If the meat loosens at all, place the sausage round on the board and flatten gently. Heat a large skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, add half of the sausage in a single layer and brown on the first sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a metal spatula to flip them and brown on the second sides, another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the sausage and drain on the towel. Add the sage leaves to the skillet and crisp them in the sausage grease until they turn dark green, 1 to 2 minutes per side, then remove and drain with the sausage. Repeat to brown the remaining sausage.
Brown the bread: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. When it begins to smoke lightly, add the baguette rounds in a single layer (work in batches and add more oil if needed) and brown carefully on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes total. Remove from the pan and arrange on a serving platter.
Assemble and serve: Sprinkle the bread with a pinch of salt and spoon an even layer of the onion jam over each. Top with one to two pieces of the sausage and one sage leaf. If you made extra fried sage leaves, put some on the bottom of a large platter for decoration, then set the toasts on top.
