Dinner Spanakopitas

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa
Serves 6

*1 chicken sausage link, casings removed
*olive oil
*1/2 cup chopped onion
*2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
*5 oz. fresh spinach
*1 egg, lightly beaten
*2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
*plain dry bread crumbs
*1 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp pepper
*1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
*12 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted
*4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
*flaked sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook chicken sausage in a medium sautee pan over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces. Transfer meat to a large bowl, and using the juices from the meat, cook the onion over medium-low heat. Add scallions and cook until scallions are wilted but green. Add spinach to the pan and cook until spinach is cooked down. Add the onion, scallions and spinach to the bowl. Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Gently fold in the pine nuts.

Place one sheet of phyllo dough flat on a work surface. Brush the dough lightly with butter and sprinkle it with a teaspoon of bread crumbs. Working quickly, slide another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first, brush it with butter and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. Use just enough bread crumbs so the layers of phyllo don't stick together. Pile 4 layers total on top of each other this way, brushing each with butter and sprinkling with bread crumbs. Cut the sheets of phyllo in half lengthwise. Place 1/3 cup spinach-sausage filling on the shorter end and roll the phyllo up diagonally as if folding a flag. Then fold the triangle of phyllo over straight and then diagonally and then straight until you reach the end of the sheet. The filling should be totally enclosed. Continue assembling phyllo layers and folding the filling until all the filling is used. Place on a sheet pan, seam sides down. brush with melted butter, sprinkle with flaked salt and bake for 20 minutes, until the phyllo is browned and crisp. Serve hot.