ANDOUIILLE SAUSAGE AND HERB BASTED

GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLES

Skagit River Ranch Andouille Links

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Mixed fresh local summer vegetables

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1/2 to 3/4 cup of olive oil

one clove of minced garlic

1/4 cup finely chopped herbs

For the sausages:

Place whole on a hot grill with the grate set well up from the heat. Turn frequently until the sausages are well browned all over.

For the vegetable basting sauce:

Place 1/4 cup white wine vinegar in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Slowly whisk in 1/2 to 3/4 cup of olive oil, until an emulsion forms. Add 1/4 cup finely chopped herbs of your choice. Add a clove of minced garlic, if you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the vegetables:

Choose any combination and amount of local summer vegetables such as sweet onions, assorted squashes, eggplant, bell peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, small new potatoes, carrots, corn on the cob, green beans, fennel, radicchio, and kale. Be creative! Almost any vegetable benefits from the dry heat of the grill. It will concentrate the flavor, rather than diluting it as some other methods do. See below for tips on specific vegetables.

To serve:

Arrange the grilled vegetables on a platter, pour over any remaining basting sauce, lay the sausages on top, whole or cut in pieces, and garnish with whole or chopped herbs.

Vegetable Grilling Tips

Onions – peel and quarter lengthwise, leaving the root end intact, baste while grilling slowly, turning gently until softened

Squash – cut into uniform shapes, baste, and grill quickly until just tender

Eggplant – use slender whole fruits and grill very hot, unbasted, turning often until the skin chars, which gives it a great smoky flavor, and the middle is tender

Peppers – use the same technique as for eggplant, and when done, remove from the grill, cover with a moist kitchen towel for a few minutes, then use a knife to scrape away most of the skin and seeds

Tomatoes – use firm small whole fruit, baste and grill quickly

Small New Potatoes – baste and grill slowly until tender, or par boil, split, baste and grill more quickly

Carrots – leave unpeeled, baste and grill slowly until as tender as you prefer

Corn – shuck, baste, and grill quickly, turning often, until some kernels darken and begin to pop

Green beans – lay 4 to 6 on a flat surface and skewer them all flat with two skewers, one at each end, making them easy to turn, baste and grill quickly

Fennel – split the bulb into quarters lengthwise, baste and grill slowly until tender

Radicchio – quarter the head, baste and grill quickly until slightly charred

Kale – baste the whole leaves and grill them briefly on both sides

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