Grilled Sausage and Peppers on Naan

Sausage and peppers is one of my all time favorite things to eat. I’m a sucker for it and usually can’t resist it. So I don’t! And the smell of the peppers and onions cooking along with the sausages…it’s almost intoxicating to me. And it screams summer.

A while back, I was contacted by Kayem. Kazimierz Monkiewicz started his handmade sausage business in 1909, in Chelsea MA. He would deliver them using a horse drawn wagon. Ninety nine years later, their product line includes hot dogs, Italian sausages, deli meats and all natural chicken sausage marketed under the Kayem, al fresco, Triple M, Genoa Sausage, Schonland's and Meisterchef brands. Kayem is the #1 brand of franks in New England, and al fresco is the #1 brand of chicken sausage in the total U.S. To this day, Kayem is a local company owned by the same family, employing almost six hundred people.

Growing up, we always had Kayem franks and sausages in the house. Fenway Franks-of course! When I was a kid, my grandmother’s house was right next to the local Schonland’s place. Literally--it was next door! On some days, when they were cooking up huge batches of franks, it was all I could do not to run over there and beg for a hot dog. It smelled like they were roasting hotdogs over a campfire. Try to resist that!

To be clear, the sausages were not cooked in the basket, but right on the grill, separate from the onions and peppers.

The folks at Kayem sent me a box o’ meat. Seriously--that’s what it said on the side of the box! It was filled with a variety of their brands including lots of dogs, Italian sausages, kielbasa, and some al fresco chicken sausages. Oh, and chicken sausage patties! We’ve enjoyed all of it this past month in various ways, but mostly grilled.

I decided to take some of the Al Fresco Fresh (not fully cooked) Chicken Italian Sausages and use them in my favorite way--grilled with vinegary onions and peppers. Instead of having them on buns, we used Naan, a delicious flatbread.

Grilled Sausage and Peppers on Naan

Serves 4

4 pieces of Naan or other sturdy flatbread
4-5 Al Fresco Fresh Chicken Italian Sausage
5-6 sweet bell peppers, I like a mix of red, yellow or orange
2-3 sweet onions
4 large garlic cloves
Vinegar (white wine or plain white)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Cotija Cheese is optional, but so delicious over the top
Yellow Mustard, also optional, but I love it with this

Get your coals going and grill heated up.

Slice the peppers and onions, not too small since you'll be grilling them. We grill them in a basket, but if you don't have one, quarter the peppers and thickly slice the onions. Smash the garlic cloves, but keep them large so they don't fall out of the basket. If you don't have a basket, you can leave the garlic out entirely, and toss the vegetables with some olive oil, vinegar and a bit of salt and pepper.

When the grill is hot, get the peppers, onions and garlic (if using) on there. Drizzle them with vinegar a couple of times, preferably  by moving the basket away from the hot coals. Do this a couple of times. The vinegar is really key here, and it gives the cooked vegetables such a nice tangy flavor. Add the sausages next and grill until done. Don't poke the sausages or you'll lose all of the natural juices and flavor!

When the vegetables and sausages are done, move to the side of the grill to keep warm or remove altogether and set aside. Brush the naan with olive oil and put it on the grill, oil side down. Let it get nice and toasty on one side, brush with more oil, then flip the bread and grill it till it’s nice and toasty.

To assemble, put some peppers and onions on the naan, then slice up the sausage and top the vegetables. Crumble some of the cheese over the top. If you want mustard, and I usually do, put it on the naan before you add the vegetables.

• I use the ready made Naan that I can find at my local grocery store. Feel free to use homemade if you want.
• Obviously, if you can’t find Kayem brand sausage, you an use another, but if you can find it, it’s one of our favorites. You won’t be disappointed!
• If you wanted to, you could cut the grilled naan into smaller pieces and serve little bites with the sliced sausages and vegetables.
• These are a nice alternative to the usual burgers that we all tend to make for cookouts!
• To be clear, we used precooked naan and toasted it on the grill. I didn’t use raw dough and grill it, though I’m sure that would be delicious, too--and a subject for a whole other post!

Disclaimer: I was given the samples at no charge, and was not paid for my opinion, which is my own.