The first time I cooked diots in red wine, I understood why this dish has passed through generations: because it is simple, rustic, and immediately evokes the warming mountain meal.
The principle is incredibly clever: you brown the sausages for flavor, you sweat the vegetables for sweetness, then you moisten with red wine and let it simmer.
The result: soft sausages and a dark, short, slightly syrupy sauce.
In my "home-style" version, I keep the Savoyard basics: diots (sausages), onions, red wine, a bouquet garni, and a little garlic. And I add a trio that goes very well with the sauce: carrot, button mushrooms, and parsley.
It remains totally in keeping with the traditional spirit, but it gives a more generous dish, with a real little "stew" feel without complicating things.
From a technical standpoint, it all comes down to two easy things: properly searing the diots (for color and taste) and letting them reduce gently at the end of cooking (for a sauce that clings to the spoon).
You can serve this with steamed potatoes or polenta, and you will have a complete, protein-rich dish with balancing vegetables.
If you like a richer sauce, choose a fairly full-bodied red wine (without going for a grand cru) and take the time to scrape up the juices from the bottom of the pot: that's where the dish is built.
Diots in red wine
4
people14
minutes44
minutes789
kcal58
minutesA recipe for beautifully browned diots (sausages), simmered in red wine with onions, carrots, and mushrooms. A light, glossy sauce and incredibly tender sausages, just like in Savoy.
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Ingredients
8 diots (approx. 100g each)
2 yellow onions (approx. 120g each), sliced
2 carrots (approx. 100g each), cut into half-moons
250g of button mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
50 cl of red wine
25 cl of chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 tablespoon of tomato paste (approx. 15g per tablespoon)
1 tablespoon of flour (approx. 10g per tablespoon)
2 tablespoons of neutral oil (approx. 10g per tablespoon)
1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf)
10g of fresh, chopped parsley
Fine salt, black pepper
Preparation steps
- Thinly slice the onions. Cut the carrots into half-moons. Slice the mushrooms. Mince the garlic. Keep everything ready within easy reach: then things move quickly.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and brown them for 6 to 8 minutes, turning them frequently. The goal is a nice color, not to cook them through. Set them aside on a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the second tablespoon of oil if needed, then add the onions and carrots. Sauté for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally: the onions should become translucent and begin to brown.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes: they release a little water and then start to stick slightly, that's perfect.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste. Mix for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and mix for 1 minute to coat it well: this will help the sauce thicken without becoming a béchamel sauce.
- Deglaze with the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot well (the juices are what give it its flavor). Let it boil for 2 minutes to evaporate some of the alcohol.
- Add the stock and bouquet garni. Return the sausages (and any juices released onto the plate) to the casserole dish. Season with pepper. Add very little salt (the sausages are already salty).
- Cover and simmer gently for 24 minutes. Turn the sausages over halfway through cooking so they are well coated in the sauce.
- Remove the lid and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat, until the sauce has reduced and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
- Turn off the heat, remove the bouquet garni, add the chopped parsley, and stir. Serve piping hot, with steamed potatoes or polenta.
📊 Nutritional Information
1 serving (approx. 470g)
| Nutrient | Value |
|---|---|
| Calories | 789 kcal |
| Proteins | 33g |
| Carbohydrates | 20g |
| including sugars | 9g |
| Lipids | 49g |
| including saturated fatty acids | 16g |
| Fibers | 4g |
| Sodium | 1180mg |
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin B3 | 34% AJR |
| Vitamin B6 | 28% AJR |
| Vitamin C | 22% AJR |
| Minerals | |
| Potassium | 22% AJR |
| Phosphorus | 30% AJR |
| Zinc | 28% AJR |
* RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance
📝 Notes
Wine: choose a fairly fruity red that isn't too oaky (like a Côtes-du-Rhône or Mondeuse if you can find one). And if you're serving it with steamed potatoes, pour a little sauce over them on the plate: that's when it becomes truly irresistible!
💡 Chef's Tips
To prevent the sausages from bursting, keep the sauce at a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil) and turn them over carefully. If the red wine sauce reduces too quickly, add a splash of stock. If it's too thin, continue reducing it uncovered.
🔄 Variations
- Version with potatoes: add 600g of potatoes in large cubes when adding the stock (extend the cooking covered for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes).
- For a more robust Diots: replace 10cl of stock with an additional 10cl of red wine and let it reduce for 2 more minutes at the end of cooking.
