Accounting for Taste

Mustard and sausage lovers, this one’s for you. Smoky kielbasa and charred-but-still-crisp cabbage, all drizzled with a bright mustardy dressing, become a full, bulked-up meal thanks to seasoned small potatoes.

When wrapped in a foil packet, the potatoes become perfectly tender in just under half an hour on the grill, making them a simple addition to any dinner you’re already lighting a fire for. Don’t be shy about showering on dill at the end—the herb brings some welcome freshness to the plate.

In place of kielbasa, we used Butifarra which we had on hand. In order not to burn items to a crisp, if you have a hot grill like we do, keep it at medium heat. We also increased mayo-mustard mixture by 50%, and flipped the potato package halfway through grilling.

*In the end, the cabbage was still a bit tough. For a softer experience, quarter the head of cabbage thru core. Put the quarters in a bowl with some water, cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes to soften. Then, cut into wedges…

Mustardy Grilled Cabbage and Kielbasa

Servings: 4
Time: 50 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

Vegetable oil (for grill)
1 lb. small red potatoes, halved, quartered if larger
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. smoked paprika
4 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. whole grain mustard, divided
1 small head of savoy cabbage, cut through core into 2”–3”-thick wedges (*see above head note)
12-oz. kielbasa links, halved lengthwise
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Torn dill (for serving)

Directions

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate with vegetable oil. Combine 1 lb. small red potatoes, halved, quartered if larger, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp. smoked paprika, and 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium bowl, season generously with freshly ground pepper, and toss to combine. Scrape out onto a large sheet of foil; reserve bowl. Bring foil edges together to make a packet; crimp to seal tightly. Place on grate; cook potatoes until tender, 25–28 minutes, turning halfway through.
Whisk 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard, and 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in reserved bowl to combine. (We suggest you increase this mixture by 50%) Rub mayonnaise mixture over 1 small head of savoy cabbage, cut through core into 2″–3″-thick wedges, working between leaves; reserve bowl. Grill cabbage, turning halfway through, until tender and both cut sides have deep brown marks, 7–9 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
Grill kielbasa, turning halfway through, until charred in spots, about 10 minutes. Transfer to same platter.
Whisk 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, remaining 2 Tbsp. whole grain mustard, and remaining 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil in reserved bowl. Set dressing aside.
Arrange potatoes on top of kielbasa and cabbage. Drizzle reserved dressing over. Scatter torn dill on top and season with more pepper.

To make without a grill: Preheat oven to 400°. Spread seasoned potatoes out on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; roast until just tender enough to pierce with a knife, 25–30 minutes. Remove from oven. Heat broiler. Add dressed cabbage and kielbasa to baking sheet with potatoes; broil, turning halfway through, until cabbage is tender and charred in spots and kielbasa is browned, 10–14 minutes.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Kendra Vaculin for Bon Appétit

“Kielbasa,” the Polish word for “sausage” typically carries a more pronounced garlic flavor and is lightly smoked. When you purchase kielbasa in the grocery store, it has already been smoked and pre-cooked so you are automatically saving cooking time with this ingredient.

While microwaving the potato pieces also saves time, the results are uneven. In fact, they were nowhere near done after four minutes, so I zapped them for another four. If you can spare a bit of extra time, I suggest boiling the potatoes in water until soft for a more uniform tenderness.

After the fact, we thought the softened potatoes should have been browned with the onion to get a crisp on the outside. It’s nearly impossible to do so in the crowded pan with all of the sausage.

Our conclusion? The original recipe (as listed below) was too sweet with two tablespoons of brown sugar. If like us, you prefer a more savory flavor, cut back on the brown sugar to—at most—one tablespoon; and increase the amount of Dijon mustard. Finally, using only half an onion seemed a bit underwhelming so an entire onion was chopped.

Kielbasa Skillet Dinner

Servings: 4
Time: 30 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 lb. red potatoes (3-4 medium), cut into 1-inch pieces
3 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 1b. smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 cups fresh baby spinach
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Place potatoes and water in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave, covered, on high until potatoes are tender, 3-4 minutes (ours took 8 minutes); drain.
Meanwhile, mix brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; sauté onion and kielbasa until onion is tender.
Add potatoes; cook and stir until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in spinach until wilted. Stir in bacon.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe for TasteOfHome.com