Sausage and Orange with Bay Leaves
This is a Mediterranean dish that can be done more authentically if you can get your hands on branches of fresh edible bay (laurel), but that's not always easy (you could use rosemary or fennel branches quite successfully, and they're equally traditional, though obviously different in flavor). In the original version, you throw a few branches of bay (laurel) onto a grill and top with sausage. My oven method uses somewhat less bay and is virtually foolproof. 1 or 2 branches fresh bay leaves or 50 or 60 dried bay leaves 1½ to 2 pounds fresh garlic sausage 3 navel oranges
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lay the bay leaves on the bottom of a roasting pan and top them with the sausage; prick the sausage in a few places with a thin-bladed knife. Put in the oven for about 15 minutes, turning once or twice, until browned.
- Meanwhile, peel the oranges and cut them into ¼ - inch-thick slices. Top the sausage with the orange slices and bake until the sausage is cooked through, about 10 more minutes. Serve the sausage and the orange slices (do not eat the bay leaves).