Grilled Sausage Sandwiches with Onion Sauce and Grilleed Pepper Relish

By ctaubenheim

The relish and onion sauce would be great with other meats.

Ingredients

• ITALIAN SAUSAGE:
• 4 hot or sweet Italian sausage links
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 hoagie buns, split three quarters of the way thru
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• Onion sauce (See Recipe)
• GRILLED RED PEPPER RELISH:
• 3 red bell peppers, grilled (see recipe), peeled, seeded, & coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves roasted garlic (see recipe), coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ONION SAUCE: (makes 3/4 cup)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 large onions, halved and cut 1/4 inch thick
• 1 tsp ancho chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

SAUSAGE & GRILLED RED PEPPER RELISH: Heat your grill to medium high. Combine the peppers, garlic, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, parsley and basil in a medium bowl and season with salt & pepper. Let the relish sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Brush the sausages with 2 Tbsp of the olive and season with salt and pepper. Grill the sausages until golden brown, slightly charred on all sides, and cooked thru, about 12-15 minutes. Brush the inside of the buns with the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill, cut side down, & grill until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute. Spread the bottom half of each bun with some of the mustard and top with a sausage and some of the onion sauce and grilled pepper relish.

ONION SAUCE: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the ketchup, 1/2 cup water, the hot sauce, salt and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until thickened. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. The onion sauce can be made 1 day in advance, covered and refrigerated. Bring to a room temperature before serving.