Pan-Grilled Sausages with Apples

When I think of fall, I think of apples.  Although the weather has been unseasonably warm lately, it cooled off a bit today and this inspired me to make a characteristically fall dish - Grilled Sausages with Apples.  I found some delicious Niman Ranch sausages at the market made with apple and Gouda and I thought these would be great cooked up with some Fuji apples, red peppers, and a Vidalia onion.  No recipe, just a little imagination and a bit of vision (in true Marcella Hazan style, you should "know where you're going when you're cooking," either that or just trust that it will all turn out okay).

First, I chopped the pepper and cooked it in olive oil.  Once done, I removed the pepper and then added the onion (chopped) to the pan with a little dried thyme and cooked until browned.  In a separate skillet I cooked the sausages in a little apple cider (~1/4 cup) and olive oil (~1 tbsp).  When the sausages were browned on one side, I turned them over and added 2 pealed, cored, and cubed apples along with a little thyme and ground coriander.  The skillet had gotten a little dry, so I added a bit more cider (~1/4 cup) and a little water (as needed to keep the pan from drying out/burning).  I cooked this covered until the apples were soft. Before serving, I added the vegetables to the skillet to combine the flavors and heat everything through.

Delicious!  The sausages with a hint of Gouda added a bit of richness and saltiness to the dish that combined well with the sweetness of the apples.

If you're interested in pairing this with something fun, try a hard cider, but it should be on the dry side.  The cider I picked up at the farmers market from Eve's Cidery was a bit too sweet, but no one complained!  Enjoy.