Cantabrian Broiled Sausage

I've had hearty plates like this on both sides of the Pyrenees; it's a typical late evening meal, served again the next morning cool, with the set drippings spread on crusty bread.



This would be seemingly be equally at home in Provence as in Santander, but the peculiarities of the Bar Corban where I sampled it most often were the long sweet green peppers instead of pimento, the asparagus, and the firm sausage, which was in between a red chorizo and a coarse-ground Italian sausage. This is very simple and more about preparation than ingredients.

My adaptation for a quick meal here:

For the broiler

4 large sausages*
4 medium eggs
3 cubanelle peppers
1 pound asparagus
8 cloves garlic
1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
black pepper
red pepper flakes
Spanish seasoned salt (recipe below)
oregano, preferably fresh

*firm Spanish chorizo if you are going to watch and turn carefully so it doesn't explode or start a broiler fire (poke holes!), or I also like hot Italian chicken sausage from Whole Foods, pictured here, lower maintenance.

Spanish seasoned salt

sea salt
turbinado sugar
hot paprika
saffron (crushed threads, or powdered)
dried sage

Mix sugar and salt in equal proportions. Add paprika to taste, easy on the saffron, easy on the dried sage. Keeps well in a glass jar.

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Turn your broiler on and allow drawer to heat thoroughly. Wash peppers and asparagus; slice peppers into strips about the same length as the asparagus (once tough lower stalks have been removed, and thicker parts peeled if desired). Add to large rectangular Pyrex baking dish or enameled iron casserole: Le Creuset square or rectangular roaster or oval au gratin dish are nice. Add garlic cloves.* Toss in olive oil to coat, sprinkle liberally with fresh oregano, seasoned salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Push gently to one side of dish. Add sausages to vacant side, moving back and forth with tongs to pick up residual oil. Place dish in broiler. The total broiling time will be around 15 minutes, more or less depending on choice of sausages. Check and turn frequently; at first, keep vegetables and sausage separate to form a caramelized crust on at least one side of components. Gradually move wilting vegetables in a bed under sausages so that light charring can occur.

When sausages are done and peppers are mostly soft, spoon some pan drippings into a nonstick skillet on the stovetop. Heat until hot; crack eggs and cook to taste (most commonly served sunny-side up), sprinkling with seasoned salt and pepper.

Slide egg onto plate, and add vegetables and a sausage. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired. If you have migas, breadcrumbs toasted in oil with pepper flakes and minced garlic, these would go nicely on the egg (I didn't make any this time). Squeeze lemon juice over the entire plate; serve hot.

*garlic takes the longest to soften, so you may like to pre-poach or microwave if you don't like a little crunch to your ajo.

Buen provecho!