Sweet or spicy Italian-style sausages, braised in a little beer with soft, sweet peppers and onions. Easy weeknight dinner or football-watching crowd-pleaser.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Olive oil

8 Italian-style sausages (sweet or spicy)

4 large bell peppers of various colors, cored and seeds removed, sliced into thin rounds

2 medium yellow onions, sliced into thin rounds

2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 fat garlic cloves, minced

1/2 bottle of lager-style beer

A handful of fresh herb leaves, such as basil or parsley (or a combination)

Instructions

1. Warm 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pan or Dutch oven. When hot, add the sausages and brown them on all sides, in batches if needed, about 5 minutes per batch. (You are not cooking them all the way through at this step, just browning them on the outside.) After they've browned, remove them from the pan and rest them on a large plate.

2. Add 2 more Tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and add the peppers and onions along with the salt. Stir everything together and turn the heat to medium-low. Allow them to cook with the lid askew, stirring occasionally, for about 15-18 minute, until softened and somewhat browned.

3. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Turn the heat to high and stir in the beer, allowing it to come to a boil. Use a wooden spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the beer boils. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened somewhat.

4. Return the sausages to the pan, turn the heat to medium-low and cook with the lid on for about 15 minutes, turning them halfway through, until the sausages are thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle the fresh herbs over the top just before serving.