'Stretched' Sausages

This recipe is from one of my favorite kitchen mentors, Alison Holst.  I brought one of her cookbooks home from New Zealand with me as a gift from my host mother there to my mom back home.  While I was in college, my mom gave the cookbook to me.  Eventually, I was able to find one other book by her, and it is fabulous!  She is such a real-kitchen cook and I love her voice as she talks about food and friends and family. 

I've been making this recipe for many years now, and usually I am given grief about fruits, vegetables and meat touching.  You know your children are growing up when they eat it all.  This is the first time I have made this in a while, and my new note in the margin says "double this".  I love the flavors, especially nice in the fall and winter.  I serve it over rice, it isn't really saucy, but I like it on the rice bed all the same.  You can do as you like.  I am altering the recipe a tiny bit to reflect ingredients available here.

'Stretched' Sausages
3 fairly large onions
1 lb. bulk ground sausage (whatever flavor you like)
3 Granny Smith apples (or other baking apple)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
salt
3-4 Tbsp. chili sauce

Cut the peeled onions into wedges and cook in a non-stick pan in the smallest amount of butter or oil they need to stop them sticking.  For maximum color and flavor you should not hurry this step.  Once the onions are cooking, roll the sausage into small balls and cook in another frying pan, turning to brown them evenly.  Pour off any fat that accumulates as the sausages cook.

Once the sausages are cooking, quarter and remove cores from the apples. Peel them or not according to your preference.  Cut each quarter into 3 or 4 wedges and add these to the pan with the partly cooked onions.  When the onions are evenly browned and the apples slightly browned, add to them the brown sugar and vinegar, then add a little salt at a time until the flavor suits you. 

Stir the browned, cooked sausage balls into the onion and apple mixture.  If you would like the mixture to be more 'saucy', add about 1/2 c. of water or chicken stock, then thicken the mixture with a little cornstarch and adjust seasonings again.  (You can leave the mixture at this stage, either in a serving dish in a low oven or in a large frying pan, ready to reheat when needed.)

A few minutes before serving, stir in half the chili sauce then drizzle the rest over the mixture for extra color.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley for serving.

Notes: I use my own bottled chili sauce. I usually make it 'saucy' as she directs.

Jenny