Bealeton butcher's homemade sausage great on the grill

Fauquier Weekend :: Wine and Dine
By Karla Jones Seidita
Source: Fauquier Weekend
FRIDAY, JULY 4 2008

Italian Hot Dogs

An oversized, "stuff yer face and smile" sandwich.

Makes 4 sandwiches

2 cups French fries (homemade or frozen)

8 hot dogs (or veggie dogs)

2 (6-inch round) boules (uncut, round crusty French bread)

2 cups chunky pasta sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare French fries and grill the hot dogs. Heat sauce.

While they're cooking, cut each boule in half cross-wise. (Each piece will have a top and a bottom.) Remove 2/3s of the white interior and save for another use.

To assemble sandwiches, divide hot French fries between the boule pockets. Put two grilled hot dogs in each pocket, letting the ends stick out a little so you can see the dogs. Top with sauce and mozzarella. Place on a hot grill and cover. Heat briefly to melt cheese.

Karla's tip: For easy melting, stand filled sandwiches upright and touching side to side in a grill-safe pan or wrap each sandwich individually loosely in foil.

Grilled Sausage with Peppers and Onions

An Italian classic.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

4 (6-inch) Italian sausages (mild or hot)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped garlic (or to taste)

1 large yellow onion (sliced, about 2 cups)

2 green peppers (seeded and sliced, about 2 cups)

4 (6-inch) crusty sub rolls

Mustard (optional)

Grill sausages. While they're cooking, heat oil on low in a large skillet. Add garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until transparent, about 10 minutes. Add green pepper strips and continue cooking until soft but not mushy. Keep warm.

When ready to serve, cut each roll lengthwise 3/4 the way through. Fill each with a cooked sausage. Top with warm pepper-onion mixture and any cooking juices that remain in the pan. Serve with mustard if desired.

If you're up for a close-to-home, gourmet adventure this weekend, Fauquier's Finest Country Butcher Shop in Bealeton is only a short drive away.

Andy and Bev Wilfong are the proprietors. Their pristine shop and country kitchen is off the beaten path, but not hard to find. Look for the tall grain tower visible from U.S. 17 in the southern part of the county and turn onto Ag Industrial Road. Keep going until you see their sign on the right. The tiny shop is tucked behind an old farmhouse.

The shop may be small, but it's loaded with freshly cut meats, home-smoked bacon, country sausage and homemade hot dogs that are nothing like the mass-produced kinds. They make a signature beef stick, too.

It was the homemade sausage that caught my eye the day I visited. They make a dozen or so varieties to tempt every gourmet palate. It was hard to choose, but it was the andoullie grillers (spiced with chili powder), mild Italian links, sage breakfast patties, and szegediner (seasoned with nutmeg and marjoram) that went home with me.

All were nicely spiced and meaty. There wasn't much fat in any of the varieties, so they did great on the grill with slow, even cooking.

I was hoping to serve the sausage over several days, but my husband insisted on putting them all on the grill so we could sample them right away. We called the neighbors and had an impromptu feast.

Word is spreading about the Wilfongs' homemade sausage. In addition to devoted locals, they have customers from Charlottesville and Culpeper, all the way to Alexandria.

Locally, several restaurants serve Fauquier's Finest sausages, including Tuscarora Mills in Leesburg, Luigi's in Culpeper and Magnolia's in Purcellville.

"There's more [restaurants], of course," said Bev Wilfong, "but that will give you an idea of the caliber of places that carry our sausages.

"One chef said we make sausage the way it's supposed to be made, and I thought that was a very nice compliment."

Visit with local home economist Karla Seidita at www.CheesecakeFarms.com.

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Bealeton butcher's homemade sausage great on the grill