Father’s Day Italian Sausage with Grilled Broccolini, Kale, and Lemon

Father’s Day is a time for dads to take center stage. It’s the one day of the year we get 24 hours to celebrate them and all they do for us. Make your dad feel like a king with home-grilled Father’s Day Italian Sausage with Grilled Broccolini, Kale, and Lemon. Grilled to perfection and slightly spicy for the perfect edge, this grilled Italian sausage is a great way to throw the diet out the window for a day and show him how much he is appreciated.

Find high-grade skewered Italian sausage at your favorite butcher. When cooking thicker sausages, make sure to take them off of the direct heat, so they don't dry out. Finish them up with indirect heat to cook through, remaining juicy and succulent. The kale and broccolini will go quick, so be watchful to not burn them. Once slightly charred and burnt, combine with grilled lemon slices and toss with a dressing of roasted almonds, lemon juice, capers, honey, and oil. The salad is refreshingly fragrant and mesquite with bold salty and nutty notes that add texture and balance to the sausage; even your dad will go for a second serving!

This Father’s Day, instead of buying him another tie or pair of socks, show your love through chops on the grill. He’ll love you for it, but he might keep coming back for more!

Serves 4

Father’s Day Italian Sausage with Grilled Broccolini, Kale, and Lemon Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for the grill
• 3 tablespoons crushed unsalted, roasted almonds
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 2 bunches of broccolini (about 1½ pounds)
• 1 bunch small Tuscan kale, tough stems removed
• 1½ pounds coiled Italian sausage, preferably skewered, or links
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed
• 2 ounces mild Pecorino, shaved

Father’s Day Italian Sausage with Grilled Broccolini, Kale, and Lemon Directions

1. Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off; for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill); oil grate. Mix almonds, lemon juice, capers, honey, and 4 Tbsp. of oil in a small bowl, and season the dressing with salt and pepper.
2. Combine broccolini and kale in a large bowl and drizzle with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil. Toss well to evenly coat vegetables; season with salt.
3. Grill sausage over direct heat until browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Move to indirect heat and continue to cook, occasionally turning and rotating, until cooked through, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
4. Meanwhile, cook broccolini and kale over direct heat until the kale is lightly browned and crisp around the edges, about 1 minute. After about 3 minutes, the broccolini stem should be crisp-tender. Transfer back to the bowl.
5. Grill lemon slices over direct heat until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to bowl with broccolini and kale and add half of dressing and half of Pecorino. Toss to combine; season salad with salt and pepper.
6. Mound some of the salad on top of the sausage and leave some in the bowl. Drizzle the remaining dressing over all of the salad and top with the remaining Pecorino.