Seared lamb sausage and red pepper skewer

Seared Lamb Sausage, preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with foil; set aside. Cut sweet peppers in half lengthwise; remove stems, seeds, and membranes. Place pepper halves, cut sides down, on prepared baking sheet.

Roast 20 to 25 minutes or until peppers are charred and very tender. Bring foil up around peppers; fold edges together to enclose. Let stand 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Using sharp knife, loosen edges of skins; gently pull off skins in strips; discard. Set peppers aside.

Meanwhile, season sausages with salt and pepper. In large skillet add olive oil and sausages. (Starting with cold skillet will keep sausage skin from shrinking and popping.) Heat skillet over medium-high. Cook sausages 10 minutes or until seared on all sides and fully cooked (165°F). Remove from pan; let cool slightly.

Cut each sausage into five pieces. Cut peppers into strips roughly the width of sausage. Wrap each sausage piece with a pepper strip. Secure with toothpick. Serve with Mint-Cucumber Sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 8 servings.

For Mint-Cucumber Sauce, in small bowl combine 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons finely grated Persian cucumber, 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint. Stir to combine. Refrigerate until needed. Makes 2/3 cup.

Tip: Use a rasp-style grater to grate cucumber to an almost pulpy consistency.