Spiced Apple and Sausage Pizza with Amber Ale

Serves 4 · 20 min prep · 18 min cook

Ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough
• 1/2 cup plus more for drinking amber ale
• 12 oz sweet Italian sausage
• 2 Honeycrisp apples
• 6 oz fresh mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded Gruyère
• 1 small red onion
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp cornmeal

Instructions

1. 1Remove sausage from casings and brown it in a skillet, breaking it into crumbles until cooked through and lightly crisp; drain excess fat.
2. 2Core and thinly slice the apples, toss them with a splash of amber ale, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
3. 3Thinly slice the red onion and toss with a little olive oil.
4. 4Stretch the pizza dough on a cornmeal-dusted peel or baking sheet into a rustic oval.
5. 5Brush the dough lightly with olive oil, then scatter the browned sausage evenly across the surface.
6. 6Arrange the spiced apple slices and red onion over the sausage, then top with torn mozzarella and shredded Gruyère.
7. 7Tuck a few sage leaves among the toppings and grind black pepper over everything.
8. 8Bake on a preheated stone or sheet at high heat until the crust is golden, cheese is melted and bubbling, and apple edges caramelize.
9. 9Drizzle any remaining maple-ale juices lightly over the finished pizza if desired and let rest one minute.
10. 10Slice and serve immediately with cold amber ale poured alongside to echo the dough and apple notes.