Garlic Butter Sausages & Broccoli Skillet

I decided to cook sausages for my dinner today. I had found a recipe on Eating Well 101 for a delicious looking pan sausage dish. Garlic Butter Sausages & Broccoli Skillet.
Quick, easy and nourishing the original recipe feed four people. I cut the recipe in half to feed only two, and in fact I actually cut it in half yet again to feed only one person, myself. I froze the the other four sausages from the package individually to enjoy another time.
Garlic Butter Sausages & Broccoli Skillet

To freeze them individually, I wrapped each one first in some waxed paper, completely encasing it. Then I packed them into a zip lock freezer bag.
That way they won't stick together when freezing and it will be very easy for me to remove one at a time for cooking at a later date.
Wrapping everything really well helps to prevent freezer burn, and it also helps to prevent flavors from other items in the freezer from contaminating things. ie. you won't end up with a piece of chicken that tastes like a sausage, etc.
Garlic Butter Sausages & Broccoli Skillet

Now before you say it I am going to put you out of your misery. You are right, that is not broccoli that you see here. It is a vegetable called tenderstem cauliflower. Its like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower.
I have also seen it referred to as sweet sprouting cauliflower, and caulilini.
It is delicious. Its like having the best of both worlds at your fingertips. Broccoli and cauliflower. If you are a lover of the cruciferous vegetable then you will love this. I had picked some up yesterday when I was with my sister that was marked down 30% as a use by today item. How could I resist!
Garlic Butter Sausages & Broccoli Skillet

All too often they will charge extra for specialty vegetables like this. I thought where it was marked down it was a good opportunity for me to try something I normally would not get to eat.
My sister has roasted it in the oven along with broccoli and assured me that it was really good. I am a huge fan of the cruciferous vegetable and so I picked it up! I did need to cook it by today however. I thought it would work well in this recipe and I was right. It did!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GARLIC BUTTER SAUSAGES & BROCCOLI SKILLET
Simple delicious fresh ingredients and a mix of herbs, garlic, butter, lemon.

1/2 pound thick style sausages ( sweet Italian are nice)
1/2 pound broccoli, cut into florets (I used tender stem cauliflower)
1 1/2 TBS butter, divided
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 TBS vegetable stock
pinch of crushed rec chili flakes
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley (I used 1 TBS freeze dried)
1/2 TBS fresh thyme leaves (I used 1/2 tsp dried)

You want to use the larger thicker sausages for this easy entrée. An Italian sausage works beautifully. I used Honey Garlic Bangers that I had bought earlier this week. You just don't want to be using those thinner breakfast type of sausages.
You could also use bratwurst or smoked sausage.
You don't have to limit yourself to using broccoli or cauliflower. Green Beans also work very well as would thick slices of zucchini.
I did not have any fresh herbs, but I do keep a store cupboard of good quality freeze dried herbs that work just as well.

HOW TO MAKE GARLIC BUTTER SAUSAGES & BROCCOLI SKILLET
This was really quite simple and easy to make. It also went together very quickly, being ready to eat in less than half an hour.

Blanch the broccoli (cauliflower) florets in some boiling water for 3 minutes until crispy tender. Drain, drop into an ice water bath to stop from cooking further and then drain again. Set aside.Lay the sausages in the skillet along with 1/2 cup (120ml) water. Cook, half covered, for 10 minutes, turning frequently, over medium heat. When the water has totally evaporated, add 1 TBS of butter, and half of the minced garlic. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until the sausage have browned all over. Transfer to a plate, tent with foil, and set aside.Add the remaining butter to the skillet and lower the head to medium low. Add the herbs, remaining garlic, Italian seasoning and crushed red chili flakes. Toss in the vegetables and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly until cooked to your preference. (I like crispy tender.)Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice and stock. Return the sausage to the pan and heat through. Serve hot, with some of the pan juices spooned over top.

I served my sausage with half of a large baked sweet potato that I baked in the microwave oven. I just cut it in half lengthwise, fluffed it up a bit with a fork and added a small pat of butter.
This was really delicious. Simple to make. Quick. Easy and quite healthy. The tenderstem cauliflower was nice and crispy tender and the sausage perfectly cooked. There wasn't a lot of sauce actually, so if you are wanting lots you may want to double the sauce ingredients, but all told, this was fabulous!

Some other sausage recipes which you might enjoy are:
BRAISED SAUSAGES WITH AN APPLE GRAVY - This is a fabulous recipe! Hearty, rich and comforting. This is a real belly warmer! The apple gravy is really delicious!

OVEN BARBEQUED SAUSAGES - Meltingly tender sausages and onions in a rich BBQ gravy. Perfect served with some fluffy mash and a vegetable on the side.ROASTED BANGERS AND MASH WITH AN ONION GRAVY - Bangers and mash are a traditional favorite supper in the UK and no small wonder. Meaty sausages and fluffy mash with a delicious onion gravy spooned over top is something that really can't be beat!

Yield: 2Author: Marie Rayner