Sausages Cooked in a Creamy Blue Cheese and Leek Sauce
I love cream sauces – they make up some of my favourite dinners. I have a rule, though, when it comes to cream sauces. If I am to indulge in a rich, creamy sauce then I must have it with vegetables opposed to rice or pasta. But rules are made to be broken, and this recipe is the perfect excuse.
Now, if you’re a bit nervous about cooking with blue cheese, I’ll be honest with you. I can’t actually eat blue cheese by itself – I LOVE it in sauces, pies, dips and pretty much all cooking but I very rarely pluck up the courage to eat it alone. The few times I have had it by itself I have really loved it, but I still suffer horrific flash backs from the first time I ever tried it.
I was probably 15 and finally decided it was time to give it a go. I cut myself a chunk and spread it over a cracker just to spit it all over the garden. A few seconds after I’d attempted to eat it my father came outside and told me not to touch the blue cheese – he’d brought out the wrong one, the off one and boy was it off. My taste buds still shudder at the thought alone.
If you’re never tried blue cheese before, I hope this recipe will provide you with a better first impression than I had, because it truly is a beautiful flavour. While I’ve suggested 50gms of blue cheese as a minimum, you can always begin with less and build up to the flavour that is just right for you.
Sausages Cooked in a Creamy Blue Cheese and Leek Sauce
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes (minimum)
4 pork sausages (beef also works well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large leek
1 cup white wine (I use something dry, like a chardonnay)
1/2 cup cream
50gms blue cheese (or more to taste)
Salt
Pepper
Start by removing the sausage meat from the casings, squeezing the meat with your thumb and forefinger, creating little meat balls.
Next, placing a large pan on the stove, set to a medium heat. After around 30 seconds, drizzle in the olive oil and add the sausage meatballs. I recommend a cast-iron pan for this dish rather than a non-stick pan.
Brown the sausage meatballs all over – this should take around 10 minutes. While the sausage meatballs are cooking, finely slice the leak.
When you think the sausage meatballs are done, cut one of them open to check. If cooked through, remove from the pan and put aside. If still raw, cook for a further few minutes.
Turn the heat down to low and add the sliced leek. Slowly start to sweat the leeks – to sweat something means to cook it long and slow on a low heat, causing it to become sweet and translucent.
Once the leeks have started to go translucent, turn the heat back up to medium and add the wine. Use the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits left behind by the leaks or sausage meat balls. Once the bottom of the pan has been deglazed, simmer for five minutes to reduce the liquid by half.
Add the cream and stir until the sauce starts to thicken. If the sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat.
Now crumble in the blue cheese. While I have suggested 50gms, you can add more or less depending on your preferences. Stir through the cheese, allowing it to melt completely into the sauce. Once the cheese has completely melted, taste for flavour. If you decide to add more blue cheese, simply crumble in and stir through until melted, as before.
When the flavour is just right for you, return the sausage meat balls to the pan and mix through the beautiful creamy, blue cheese sauce.
Season with salt and pepper – but remember to taste the sauce first. Blue cheese can be salty, so you do not want to over-season.
Ideas to Serve
Green Beans
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan that has been placed on a medium heat. Add around 250gm of green beans (if using frozen, defrost beforehand). Dice a clove of garlic and add to the pan. Toss and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the green beans have warmed through. Toss through the blue-cheese and leak sauce and serve.
Pasta
Cook the pasta to the packet instructions. Strain, before mixing through the creamy blue-cheese and leak sauce with meatballs. Cook for a further few minutes to allow the pasta to soak up all of the beautiful flavours, then serve.
Eggplant
Finely dice an eggplant into 1cm-sized cubes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan that has been placed on a medium heat. After half a minute, add the diced eggplant to the pan and stir. Cover with a lid and sauté for 10 minutes (stirring everything 2- 3 minutes). Add to the sauce and cook for a further few minutes to allow the eggplant to absorb the sauce and flavours, then serve.