Braised Turnips and Greens with Smoked Sausage

From the garden

• 1½ lb turnips, peeled and cut into wedges, tops saved
• 1 bunch hearty greens (turnip tops, collards, or mustard greens), stemmed and roughly chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

From the pantry

• 14 oz smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch coins
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• hot sauce (optional) · for serving, traditional
• 4 slices crusty bread (optional) · for sopping up the potlikker
• salt · to taste; the sausage carries a lot
• black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage coins 4–5 minutes until crusty on both sides. Set them aside, leaving the fat.
2. Cook the onion in the drippings until soft, 4–5 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
3. Add the turnip wedges and the stock, scraping up the browned bits. Cover and simmer over medium 10 minutes to give the turnips a head start.
4. Pile in the greens in handfuls, letting each batch wilt, then cover and simmer 12–15 minutes more, until the greens are silky and the turnips are tender all the way through.
5. Uncover, return the sausage, and simmer a few minutes so the potlikker reduces slightly. Finish with the vinegar and black pepper, taste before salting, and serve in bowls with hot sauce and bread for the broth.