Brown Butter Sage and Sausage Penne

My herb window box that I planted on the back deck has exploded this Spring. It's worked out great because it is so near the kitchen and gives me a ready supply of oregano, parsley, sage and thyme. I use most of those herbs regularly but I can't say I cook much with sage (although I do enjoy the flavor) so I was racking my brain to come up with something to use it in. Most recipes I recall using sage in are very Fall oriented and I was looking for something good to make for Spring. Luckily I recalled that sage and butter are a match made in heaven and I came up with this tasty pasta dish! It is fantastic with a glass of wine, yum!

Ingredients

1 stick plus two tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 onion sliced

1/4 cup sage chopped

2 links Italian sausage

Goat cheese crumbles to top

1 pound cooked penne

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and onions and cook until the solids in the butter separate and start to turn brown (the onions will also start to caramelize and brown). Add the chopped sage and cook 2 to 3 more minutes, remove from heat. In the mean time, remove sausage from casing and brown in a skillet. Stir the cooked sausage in to the butter sauce and toss with the pasta. Top with crumbled goat cheese or grated parmesan.