Pan-Seared Catalan Country Sausage with Caramelized Onions and Piquillo Peppers

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Botifarra de Pagès is the rustic heart of Catalan cookery — a coarse, peppery fresh pork sausage traditionally seared over open coals. Here it's finished in a cast-iron pan alongside silky slow-cooked onions and smoky jarred piquillos for a weeknight version that still tastes like a farmhouse kitchen in Catalonia.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 480 kcalCalories
• 32 gFat
• 10 gSaturated Fat
• 18 gCarbs
• 3 gFiber
• 8 gSugar
• 24 gProtein
• 720 mgSodium
• 580 mgPotassium
• 60 mgCalcium
• 3 mgIron
• 28 mgVitamin C
• 35 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the sausage

• 4 fresh Catalan country sausages (botifarra de pagès), about 1.5 lb total
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

For the caramelized onions and peppers

• 2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry sherry (or dry Spanish white wine)
• 1 jar (12 oz) piquillo peppers, drained and patted dry
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Crusty country bread, for serving

Directions

1. Pat the sausages dry with paper towels and let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so they cook evenly without bursting.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and brown slowly, turning every 2-3 minutes, until deeply golden on all sides and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes (internal temperature 160°F).
3. Toss the smashed garlic and thyme sprigs into the pan during the last 2 minutes so they perfume the oil; transfer the sausages to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
4. Wipe out the skillet, return it to medium-low heat, and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir in the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until meltingly soft and deep amber, 12-15 minutes; lower the heat further if they start to scorch.
5. Pour in the sherry and scrape up every browned bit from the pan; let it bubble until almost completely reduced, about 1 minute.
6. Add the piquillo peppers and warm them through in the onion mixture for 2 minutes, gently tossing so they don't break apart.
7. Nestle the rested sausages back into the skillet, spoon a little of the onion-pepper mixture over the top, and warm together for 1 minute.
8. Finish with the chopped parsley and a final pinch of flaky sea salt, then serve straight from the pan with thick slices of crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Cook’s Notes

• Source your botifarra from a Catalan or Spanish butcher if possible — the coarse grind and simple salt-pepper-garlic seasoning are what make it special.
• Resist pricking the sausages while cooking; the natural casing will hold in juices if you keep the heat at medium rather than blasting it on high.
• Romesco sauce or a smear of allioli on the bread is the most traditional Catalan accompaniment if you want to lean further into the region.
• Any dry fino sherry, Manzanilla, or even a splash of dry vermouth works beautifully in place of the sherry called for here.
• Leftover sausages reheat best in a 300°F oven for 8 minutes rather than the microwave, which toughens the casing.

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