Bensonhurst Kitchen: Beer Battered Sausages
With the chilly weather of fall upon us, I often think of the Circle Line Cruises that travel, from pier 83 on 42nd Street in Hells Kitchen, up the Hudson River to Bear Mountain for Oktoberfest.
It’s always quite a shock to go from being solicited by panhandlers on the urine soaked streets of Manhattan to hearing Bavarian Oom-pah music amidst the rugged terrain and colorful autumn foliage of the Hudson Valley.
In honor of getting drunk and eating (let’s not kid ourselves), plus just having some plain old fashioned fun in like nature and stuff, Colleen brings us little links of heaven in the form of scrumptious, fried, beer battered sausages.
Colleen’s Beer Battered Sausages
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour + flour to dredge
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup of your favorite beer
1 package of 6 sausage links
corn or canola oil to fry
Directions:
In a large deep skillet heat oil to approximately 350-375 degrees.
In a bowl mix 1 cup flour, garlic powder, black pepper and a beaten egg.
Add beer and mix thoroughly.
Dredge the sausage links in flour then transfer to the bowl of batter.
Make sure the sausage is covered completely with batter then slowly drop into the hot oil. Depending on the size of your skillet you can fry 2-3 sausages at one time. Don’t crowd the skillet, it lowers the temperature of the oil and will produce very oily food.
Fry sausages approximately 1-2 minutes or until golden brown and then turn to cook the other side.
Remove and place on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb any left over oil.
Serve on hot dog buns or on their own with your favorite toppings.
TIPS:
Don’t have a thermometer? Use the handle of a wooden spoon or a wooden chopstick. When the oil has preheated, dip the handle of a wooden spoon or a chopstick into the oil. If the oil starts steadily bubbling, then the oil is hot enough for frying. If the oil bubbles very vigorously, then the oil is too hot and needs to cool off a touch. If no or very few bubbles pop up – then it’s not hot enough.
When selecting a beer to use in your batter keep in mind that darker beer will result in a very strong tasting batter that could overshadow the taste of the sausage.
Not a fan of sausage? Use the batter recipe for shrimp, chicken tenders, hot dogs, fish or anything else you want battered and fried. Let your imagination lead the way!
Recipe and tips by Colleen
