Wine Baked Sausage with Potato Meringues

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  First, focus on the chestnuts, which need to be scored on the convex side and soaked in cold water at least 3 hours before baking to make them easier to peel. Then place them on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes at 200 °C. After baking, cover them with a towel to steam slightly, and as soon as you can hold them, peel them. It won't be completely easy, but fortunately, you don't need many per serving. If they crumble, it doesn't matter, just make sure to remove not only the hard outer shell but also the soft thin one underneath – leaving only the beautiful yellow wrinkled interior.
• 2
  Next, prepare the mixture for the meringues. Peel potatoes of type C, cut them into larger pieces of similar size, place them in a pot of well-salted cold water, bring to a boil, and cook until soft for about 20 minutes.
• 3
  Drain and immediately press through a potato ricer with small holes. If you don't have a ricer, you could also whip them with electric beaters, mash them smoothly, or grate them on a fine grater. Stir in the butter cut into pieces with a spatula until a sticky homogeneous mass forms. Let it cool for a moment.
• 4
  First, when the potatoes are lukewarm, you can add a beaten egg with cream, grated Parmesan or Pecorino, salt, and freshly ground pepper in a bowl. Mix well, taste to see if the mixture is salty enough, and transfer to a piping bag – ideally with a star-shaped wide nozzle. You can continue right away or place the bag in the fridge to have it ready for the future. Line a flat baking sheet with parchment paper and form round meringues about 3 centimeters in diameter. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C in the middle section for about 15 minutes, then switch to grill and let the edges color to golden brown for another 3-4 minutes. Leave the finished meringues on the baking sheet until serving; if they cool down, reheat them in the oven for a few minutes to perfection.
• 5
  Now you will need either a cast iron baking dish that works as a pan or a large all-metal pan that you can also put in the oven. Prepare everything first so that you can then just operate at the stove. Roll the wine sausages into spirals and secure the constructions with sharp skewers. Trim the Brussels sprouts from the stalks, remove the outer tired leaves, and halve each one. Slice the cooked chestnuts into thin slices. Halve large grapes, you can leave small ones whole. Peel the shallots. Leave tiny ones whole, otherwise reduce to the size of halved Brussels sprouts. Prepare the wine... Take a sip... And continue.
• 6
  Start preheating the oven to 190 °C. Slowly heat olive oil in the baking dish, and in the meantime, coat the sausages in plain flour, shake off well, and place them directly to slowly and golden brown on both sides. Add rosemary sprigs to fry until crispy. If there is space around them, arrange the Brussels sprouts cut side down. Set aside the browned but not yet cooked sausages, and the rosemary as well. The Brussels sprouts must brown on the bottom side, then add the shallots and chestnuts, and salt them. When everything is browned in places, which will only take a moment, pour in the white wine and let it simmer and reduce for a few minutes. There should still be enough to cover the entire bottom of the baking dish, if not, add a little more. Then add the grapes and butter. Stir to coat everything in the forming emulsion. Pepper, return the sausages here, and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Put in the oven for 15 minutes.
• 7
  In a small bowl, mix almond slices with a little olive oil, and add the picked fried rosemary leaves. After 15 minutes in the oven, remove the foil from the baking dish, sprinkle the contents with the almond and rosemary mixture, and return to the oven for a few more minutes, during which the almonds will start to crisp and roast. You can already reheat the meringues on another rack below them. Serve immediately together and enjoy the triple pleasure of wine, of course, accompanied by a glass of what is left in the bottle.