Recipe: Irish Red Plate with Horseradish Vinaigrette (Kielbasa, red cabbage, and pickled beets)

IRISH RED PLATE
Source: McGuire's Irish Pub Cookbook by Jessie Tirsch
Servings: 8-12

This delicious combination of sausage and red cabbage with pickled beets and horseradish is the kind of hearty fare you might find in the kitchen on a cold winter night in Dublin.

FOR THE HORSERADISH VINAIGRETTE:
1 1/2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
I tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
5 turns freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
FOR THE RED PLATE:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
1/2 cup peeled, chopped apples
3/4 cup pickled beet juice (from pickled beets, below)
5 cups shredded red cabbage
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 lb. kielbasa sausage, cut into 6-inch pieces
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups pickled beets (see index)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE:
Combine the horseradish, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk in the vinegar, whisking until the mixture is blended. Slowly stream in the oil, whisking constantly, until the vinaigrette is thick and emulsified. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE RED PLATE:
Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and apples and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the beet juice and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze.

Fold in the cabbage and salt and bring to a bubble. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring once to fold the cabbage into the juice, until the cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.

While the cabbage is cooking, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, turning the sausage once or twice, until the meat is brown on all sides, about 6 minutes.

Add the wine, bring to a bubble. Cover and cook, shaking the skillet occasionally, until the wine has evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the pickled beets to the vinaigrette, and toss to coat them.

TO SERVE:
Arrange several pieces of kielbasa on each plate next to a mound of the cabbage and 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette-covered pickled beets. Sprinkle with the minced parsley.