February 3: Sweet Sausages Braised in Onions with Horseradish Smashed Potatoes

2 pounds small red potatoes, cut into quarters
   Coarse salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 links sweet Italian sausage
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 to 3 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
   Coarse black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups chicken stock or 1 14-ounce can chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup sour cream
1 rounded tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk, depending on how you like your mashers
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
   Green salad

For the smashed potatoes, place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the water to a boil.

Salt the water and potatoes. Take off the lid and boil the potatoes until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, start the sausages. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the sausage links and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes.

Remove the sausages from the skillet and reserve.

To the skillet, add the onions, thyme, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, chicken stock, and honey.

Bring the liquid to a simmer, then add the browned sausages back to the pan and braise the sausages until they are cooked through and the sauce has reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes.

While the sausages are braising, drain the potatoes and return them in the hot pot to the warm stovetop to dry them out. Add the butter, sour cream, horseradish, and milk to the potatoes and smash to the desired consistency. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the horseradish smashed potatoes among 4 serving dishes. Add the chopped parsley to the sausages, then top each serving of potatoes with 1 sausage and some of the braising liquid. Serve with the green salad.

4 SERVINGS

I could eat this meal all day, it's so good. I love the horseradish in the potatoes. And I love how the honey and balsamic vinegar compliments with the thyme and onions. The recipe originally called for 8 sausages, but they are so big, I reduced it to 4 - 1 per person. Horseradish and honey is a strange combination, but I think it works.

Here is what else I changed: I peeled the potatoes, but only because my husband doesn't like peelings. I used 1 large onion instead of 2 mediums because my husband won't eat onions. I changed the thyme from fresh to dried. I added salad to the ingredient list - it's listed before the ingredients, but I always forget about it when it's up there. That's all. You really don't need to change much about it. This is one of my favorite recipes in the whole book!