Sausage with Cheddar & Spicy Peppers

Sausages are a big favorite at our house, whether they're tossed into salads, crumbled into pasta, or simply grilled. I like to serve them on a whole wheat bun with peppers and onions and some good mustard in my version of classic Italian sausage and peppers. Here I jazzed things up a little bit by using garlic-basil beef sausages from our farmer's market and topped them melted white cheddar and a spicy pepper medley.  It's the perfect thing to serve at a tailgate, barbecue, or busy weeknight, since it's easy to make for a crowd and the whole process takes less than twenty minutes.


Sausage with Cheddar & Spicy Peppers:

• Heat a grill to high heat, brush 4 sausages with canola oil, and place on the grill.
• Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning once, until just cooked through.
• Add 4 whole-wheat hot dog buns and grill for 1-2 minutes, per side.
• Transfer everything to a plate, cover with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. canola oil in a large skillet and add in 1 large, thinly sliced onion* and 1 thinly sliced green bell pepper.
• Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until soft, then add in 1 minced garlic clove and 2 diced, roasted yellow wax peppers.**
• Cook for another 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
• Place sausages into buns and top with a handful of grated white cheddar cheese and some of the pepper-onion mixture.
• Place dogs under a hot broiler for 2 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Serves two-four

*The onion will really shrink when it cooks. You may want to use two if yours are small.

**To roast peppers, place on a sheet pan under a hot broiler for 7-10 minutes, turning once, until skin is black all over. Transfer to a plastic bag for 15 minutes to steam, then rub off skins with your hand and remove seeds and stem. Or you can use 1-2 minced jalapenos.