Italian Sausage Baked in Wine

I've made this several times and have some in the freezer because this is good stuff! The recipe comes from The New Meat Lover's Cookbook. I have used it for appetizers but it can be frozen and served in your favorite baked pasta dishes, or with sauteed peppers, onions and tomato sauce on a roll....let your imagination run wild with how to enjoy this sausage. (Placing in the Mid Atlantic region because of the wonderful influence of Italian cooks in that part of the USA :)

• Ready In: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Yields: 20 appetizer servings

Ingredients

• 4  lbs  sweet Italian sausage (or a combo) or 4  lbs hot Italian sausage, in casing (or a combo)
• 2  heads garlic, cloves separated but unpeeled
• 1 (750 ml) bottle red wine

Directions

1. Prick the sausages in several places with a fork and place them in a dutch oven.
2. Add the cloves of 1 head of garlic and enough cold water to cover the sausage completely.
3. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30- 40 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. When the sausages are cooked, drain off the water.
7. Prick the sausages again to release any fat that remains.
8. Rinse the sausages with hot water and cut into 1 inch pieces.
9. Put the sausages, remaining garlic cloves and wine in the dutch oven.
10. Cover loosely (allow the steam to escape) with foil.
11. Bake for 30 minutes.
12. Uncover and continue to bake, stirring occasionally, until the sausages are brown and crispy and have absorbed most of the wine (45 minutes- 1 1/4 hour).
13. De-fat the juices.
14. Serve in the remaining juices in a chafing dish or crockpot for a buffet, use in your favorite recipes, or freeze to use at a later date.