Turkey Sausage

In spite of all my recipe testing, I actually eat very well – meaning very healthfully. I’ve been working with Sue the Nutritionist, who has given me a lot of perspective on proper portion sizes, the proper balance of macronutrients in a meal, and the caloric density of certain foods. Overall, working with her has greatly enhanced my awareness of my eating habits and has helped me become much healthier.

Sue’s Challenge for July

When I saw Sue in June, we talked about ways to keep the menu for an upcoming dinner party on the healthy side. Since I was serving nine people, my idea was to offer sausage and peppers, marinated flank steak, fajita style chicken, white rice, and some kind of vegetable to be determined later. (They were steamed string beans.) Sue was on board with everything except the sausage and peppers. She suggested that I use turkey sausage instead of regular Italian sausage. I wasn’t comfortable with serving guests something that I had never tried before, so I used regular Italian sausage, plus some chorizo for extra flavor.

Of course, there were leftovers, which I portioned appropriately for lunches and dinners after the party. Or so I thought. When I saw Sue in July, I learned that I should have looked up sausage in my nutrition book. It was a fatty meat - each portion constituted one serving of protein and two servings of fat – and I had been acting as if it were a lean meat – each portion constitutes one serving of protein. So all my meals were heavier in fats than they should have been. That’s when Sue challenged me to try turkey sausage before our next meeting.

Turkey Sausage and Peppers

Between my ramen experiments and the Florentine frittata for the Ladies’ Brunch, I ended up with a solitary red pepper in my refrigerator that needed to be used up before I went on vacation. There was also half a Vidalia onion in the same boat. Knowing that I had yet to fulfill Sue’s challenge, I decided to pick up two green bell peppers and a package of sweet turkey sausage at the supermarket. Sausage and peppers would be on the menu for the week.

Sue had advised me that, because turkey sausages were leaner than Italian sausages, they needed to be steamed. That was no problem, since steaming was already a step in my sausage and peppers recipe. Basically the recipe requires quickly browning the sausages and then steaming them for twenty minutes. Then you remove the sausages from the pan to drain on a plate while sautéing the peppers and onions. Once the vegetables are cooked, the sausages get added back to heat through before serving. Dad likes to leave the sausages whole, but I like to slice the sausages before adding them back to the pan. I feel like I get more sausage that way. Besides, it is really helpful when serving at a dinner party; no one feels pressured to take and eat a full sausage as they can just take a few slices with the vegetables.

I treated the turkey sausage just like regular sausages for the purposes of my recipe. They browned up nicely in the olive oil without any issues. Then I steamed them in beer (instead of water) for twenty minutes. A friend of mine advised me that, should I accept the turkey sausage challenge, I might find them bland because I’m used to the complex spices of good local Italian sausages. So I tried to get as much flavor into them as possible by using the beer as a steaming liquid and tossing in a handful of dried fennel seed as they steamed. They steamed perfectly, and then I removed them to a plate to sauté the onion with the garlic. After I added the peppers to the mix, I started to slice the turkey sausages. The texture was definitely different, but it is hard to describe how, and the casings didn’t hold up well against the knife. I tried a slice, and it tasted like breakfast sausage to me. I’m not a big fan of breakfast sausage. But I was invested in the experiment, so I added the sliced sausage to the vegetables and tossed it to heat through. I had to add a touch more beer because the vegetables were starting to stick to the pan, but that usually happens.

After everything was cooked, I served myself an appropriate portion of the turkey sausage, and topped that liberally with the peppers and onions. Eaten together with the peppers and onions, the sliced turkey sausage was much more palatable. Perhaps because I had added the extra handful of fennel seed to the mixture. I’ll certainly finish the batch of sausage and peppers that I just started across lunches and dinners for the next few days, but I’m not sold on the turkey sausage. I could definitely tell the difference from regular Italian sausage in texture and taste. I can’t see myself enjoying a whole turkey sausage off the grill in a bun by itself, which I can do with a regular Italian sausage. But it was a learning experience, and I can check off that the challenge was met.

What I Did Wrong

When I shared my turkey sausage experience with Sue, she noted that it was an error for me to treat turkey sausage like regular Italian sausage. First and foremost, steaming for twenty minutes is way too long for poultry sausages. Just a few minutes is all that is necessary. Second, the beer and the long steaming may have “pulled out” the sausage flavor. A tiny bit of water or red wine would have been a better choice. Third, I should have removed the casings after cooking. Finally, the flavor and texture varies greatly between brands and between different types within the brand. I bought what was available in my supermarket, which wasn’t Sue’s preferred brand or type. All that adds up to the fact that I ought to give turkey sausage a second chance – at some point in the future.


My Recipe for Sausage and Peppers

This is one of those intuitive recipes that I only reference when I’m too tired to think straight.

Italian sausage (spicy, sweet or mixed)

Optional: Chorizo, sopressata or other hard sausage (no more than 4 oz per six sausages)

For every six sausages:
4-5 red potatoes, cubed and unpeeled (optional)
1 – 1½ onions, thinly sliced strips
2-3 coarsely chopped garlic cloves (2 tbsp jarred)
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced strips
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced strips

1. If adding hard sausage: Slice fairly thinly, and cut slices in half. Add to a large dry skillet and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. These will create enough grease that no additional olive oil is required. Transfer to paper towel lined plate to soak up the grease.
2. If adding red potato: Boil a very large pot of water. Add potatoes and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until soft. Drain well and set aside.
3. Add sausages to a large skillet, preferably right after frying the hard sausage slices or heating a bit of olive oil. Over medium heat, brown all sides (~5 minutes total cooking time).
4. Reduce heat to medium low. Add water to approximately 1/8” – ¼” deep. Cover tightly and steam for approximately 20 minutes. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent sticking.
5. Remove sausages from pan to plate and let cool slightly.
6. Increase heat to medium high. Add onion and garlic to pan and sauté until translucent.
7. Add bell pepper. Sauté until brightly colored.
8. While the vegetables are cooking, slice the sausage into ½” thick rounds. Reserve the juices.
9. Add sausage slices (or full links) and juices. Also add in fried hard sausage and/or potatoes.
10. Cook until the simmering liquid has evaporated and sausage slices are lightly browned (or at least heated through).

♥ Slicing the sausages (Step 8) is optional, but it is helpful when feeding a crowd.
♥ For Midwestern/German flair, don’t use the hard sausage or the potato. Use a hearty beer, such as Shiner Bock, instead of water at Step 5. Skip the garlic at Step 6. Use beer to deglaze, if necessary, for the remaining steps.