Pork and Prune Sausage

A few weeks ago, I posted my musings on making Merguez after reading a sausage article in the Dining In section of The New York Times. Well, I didn’t stop at Merguez. I made the Pork and Prune sausage that night as well and further stocked the freezer.

The ingredients reminded me of a fruit-stuffed pork loin I make with garlic, thyme and Madeira – which is the treatment I adapted when preparing them a few nights ago, as written below. For now, here is the recipe from The Times:

Garlicky Pork Sausage with Red Wine, Prunes & Rosemary
From Melissa Clark

¼ C. diced prunes
2 T red wine *
1 lb ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced (I microplaned)
1 T finely chopped shallot *
1 ½ t. kosher salt
1 t. ground pepper
1 t. minced fresh rosemary
Finely grated lemon zest

In a large bowl, mash together the prunes and wine. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Put into casings or shape into patties, or as desired. Chill, freeze, or use immediately.

* I added extra fruit to the mix, and substituted Port for the red wine, macerating the prunes for a considerable length of time. They really plumped up. I also had good, sweet shallots on hand, so very finely minced them and added more. Be generous w/the rosemary, too.


My husband often works nights, so bringing a dinner is usually requested – it’s more economical and he says it’s better than most options for ordering in, such as greasy Chinese or “gut-buster” (his words) Mexican. So, one night, at a loss for leftovers and far too late to cook a full soup-to-nuts dinner, I reached into the freezer for the pork & prune sausage, taking an extra one to sample myself. They thawed very quickly, and I sautéed them in a pan with some garlic, fresh thyme sprigs, peach wedges and a pair of Yukon Gold potatoes, halved, removing each element as it was cooked through. I then deglazed the pan with some port (as I’d used in the sausage), added fresh thyme and drizzled the sauce over the meal. A few generous grinds of cracked black pepper and it’s just how Mike would like it.

Saved yet again by a well-stocked freezer (!)

Even with the peaches, the flavors were decidedly autumnal, so I’ll likely be saving the sausages for then. At that time, I plan to cook them on the grill along with seasoned apple halves and potatoes – or with peaches again, if the fruit is still good. Caramelized grilled peaches sprinkled with thyme are a true treat. And hopefully, the potatoes will be fresh-dug from the garden!