Sausages with onion gravy are served at cafés on the ski slopes in Switzerland. So for me this dish is synonymous with skiing. As I always ask for extra gravy in the restaurants, I figured I would do a homemade version of this dish and have all the gravy I want, without feeling embarrassed. Do I need to mention that this recipes is a hit with my boys?
The sausages with onion gravy will be nicely charred on the sides and juicy inside, while the sauce will ad slight sweetness and heartiness to the whole dish. As a side, you can make mashed potatoes or go all-in and make homemade Swiss rösti. At which point you might as well open a restaurant on the slopes! For a lighter option, steamed broccoli and green peas work beautifully too.
A few tips so everything turns out perfectly:
- In Swiss cafés they usually serve pale veal sausages called bratwürst, but I prefer pork sausages like chipolatas or the French diots de Savoie. You can use any good-quality sausages you love. I’d recommend going for thinner ones as they cook through quickly.
- For the sauce I use vegetable stock cube dissolved in 300ml water, so I don’t need to add any extra salt. If you’re using homemade stock (of any kind) – don’t forget to season the gravy.
- Make sure onions are nice and soft before adding the liquid to the sauce (acidic liquids like wine prevent onions from becoming soft).
- Let the gravy thicken a bit, but not too much. We want it to be liquid enough to be poured over mashed potatoes.
Portions: 2
Ingredients
- sausages (good-quality ) 4
- onions (medium ) 2
- garlic cloves 1
- flour (1 tbsp) 15 g
- red wine 50 ml
- stock 300 ml
- salt
- pepper
- thyme (optional) 2 springs
Instructions
- Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and add 4 sausages. Fry until golden on all sides over medium heat (high heat will burn the outside before the inside is cooked through).
- Meanwhile, thinly slice 2 onions. Remove the sausages to a plate, then add the onions to the same pan. Stir to combine. Add a little more oil if needed – though usually the sausages will have left enough fat behind. Cover with a lid and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and pour in 50 ml wine. Let it bubble away until the alcohol cooks off. Then add 1 tbsp flour and stir well. Pour in 150 ml stock and stir again thoroughly so the flour dissolves into it. Press in 1 garlic clove and add 2 thyme sprigs. Pour in the remaining 150 ml stock, add pepper, and season with salt if needed. Cook the gravy for another couple of minutes until it thickens slightly.
- Return the sausages to the pan, cover with a lid, and let them finish cooking on low heat for five minutes. Serve! Enjoy.
