Grilled Chicken Sausages with Apple Salsa

The thought crossed my mind before I could even register how wrong it was. 

I wished it was fall yesterday.

There I was, stopping on my way home from work at the little outdoor market in my town and reveling in the beautiful colors the eggplants. Happily picking out a few zucchini to finally make zucchini bread for my husband. Trying decide which tomato variety I wanted to eat with my salad for dinner. Wondering if I really needed those purple bell peppers I had just bought. 

And sweating profusely in the 95 degree heat. 

I'd like to blame the heat for it. No one is thinking clearly in that much heat. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. Because when you are buying some gorgeous summer bounty, enjoying the long daylight of a summer evening, and making plans to barbecue, there's really no reason to want fall. I blame the fact that I lived 95% of my life in Vermont and Minnesota and I am unaccustomed to such long summers as we have here in Utah. And maybe also I'm a little bit crazy.

Since deep down I know fall will be here before I know it, and since I know that in the deep, dark days of winter I'll be wishing for sandals and shaved ice, I'm making myself appreciate the last bits of summer we have left. I'm not allowing myself to buy canned pumpkin quite yet, or slice into the beautiful butternut squash I have sitting on my counter. I'm making pestos and ice cream and enjoying the end of summer the best I can.

This recipe is perfect for this mood that I'm in. I'm a big fan of chicken sausage, and cooking it on the grill makes it summery enough for me. The spicy flavors of the salsa and the sweet/spicy flavors of the apple salsa are perfectly matched, easy, and fresh tasting. I'm ignoring the fact that apples snuck in there somehow instead of a more summery fresh corn salsa. Because despite my efforts to hang on to summer, when I'm standing at the grill and sweat is dripping down my back I can't say that I don't wish for fall just a little bit.

Grilled Chicken Sausages with Apple Salsa

3 T sugar
1 1/2 T cider vinegar
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 sweet apples (such as Gala) peeled, cored and chopped
1 T fresh oregano, minced (1 tsp dried)

6 large chicken sausages, preferably spicy (bratwursts would also work)
6 hot dog buns

1. Stir sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and red pepper flakes together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add chopped apple, cover pan, reduce heat and simmer until apples are beginning to soften. Remove from heat, add oregano and allow to cool. (You can serve this either at room temperature or from the refrigerator.

2. Grill chicken sausages on a gas or charcoal grill over medium heat until cooked through. Place each sausage in a bun, top with 3-4 T of apple salsa and serve.

Serves : 6

Recipe Source: adapted from The Summer Book by Susan Branch

Posted in: Main Dish