Sausages in Wine

Choose a crisp white wine to both braise the sausages and make a simple sauce to serve with them. (Victoria de la Maza)

After a decadent first course, I love serving sausages cooked in a crisp pinot grigio as a second course. The wine adds a layer of flavor and makes a light sauce to serve with the sausages. A green salad is all you need to make this a simple main course.

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 pounds fresh sausages, such as sweet or hot Italian (about 10 links)
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine, divided
• 3 sprigs thyme, plus more for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Working in batches to not overcrowd the pan, add the sausages and brown on all sides.

Add 1 cup of wine and the sprigs of thyme, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the wine is evaporated. Remove the sausages and thyme and transfer to a serving plate. Add the remaining wine to the pan and reduce, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan, to make a sauce. Pour over the sausages and serve immediately. Garnish with extra thyme.