Kayotic Sausage & Tomatoes

I found this recipe over at Kayotic Kitchen, which you should definitely check out.  Her blog is awesome, and this meal is my personal favorite out of anything I've ever made.

Beef Sausages & Balsamic Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 6 beef sausages
• 2 small red onions
• 1 pound cherry tomatoes
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp oil
• fresh basil
• pepper
• salt

Directions

1. Preheat over to 350.
2. Peel and slice 6 cloves of garlic (she says "normal" sized cloves, I have used less if if they were bigger).
3. Peel & slice onions into wedges.
4. Place sausages in roasting pan and cover with olive oil.
5. Add garlic slices, and generous amounts of salt and pepper (this ensures that the sauce that forms will be properly seasoned- so no holding back!).
6. Shuffle the sausages around in the oil mixture so they are well covered/seasoned and the oil gets all over the pan also.
7. Add the onions and shuffle again, so they're also covered with the oil mixture.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sausages start to brown.
9. Wash your cherry tomatoes, and add to the pan once the sausages have browned.  It will look like red marbles in a track (there are wonderful pictures on the Kayotic blog for this part- well, all the parts actually).
10. Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan, spreading evenly.
11. Put the pan bake in the oven for about 15 more minutes.  The cherries should be bursting and the sausages fully cooked when you take them out.
12. Tear up the basil leaves and stir them into the pan.
13. Serve with French bread or really thick rolls.  The juice from the sausages and tomatoes mix with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and form what is quite possible the most delectable sauce I've ever had in my life.  It's amazing, and you want a hearty bread that can soak it up to the fullest. 

My notes:

• Make very few changes!  Honestly, this is one of the recipes that is PERFECT.  Sometimes I have switched out grape tomatoes for cherry tomatoes- this does NOT work, stick to the bigger (and more juicy) cherry tomatoes.  The only "changes" I have really made is that it's gotten to the point where I don't have to measure everything out, I can eyeball it...but definitely measure the first time so you get an idea for the proper amount.
• Cook in a smaller pan.  You definitely want all those different juices and oils to be in close proximity so they can mix and make the delicious sauce, a larger pan just doesn't give it the same flavor.  
• I have used dried basil (and also thrown in a tiny bit of dried cilantro), it works when used generously but definitely go for fresh if possible.  I skimp where I can, y'all know that, but buy the ingredients as listed.   It will still be cheaper than going out, probably even to fast food, and the taste will blow your mind.
• I personally like the plain beef sausages.  We've gotten the tomato ones, and some chicken kind...hubs liked them but I prefer the plain kind.  The beauty of this meal comes from it's simplicity and that fancy-shmancy stuff isn't needed here in my opinion.

I love, love, LOVE this recipe.    I want to make it, and my mouth is watering from talking about it.  Stick to this recipe as exactly as possible and you will be amazed, I guarantee it.