Nancy Bruns relocated to her hometown of Charleston, West Virginia when she and her brother Lewis Payne revitalized their family’s award winning salt business. Breaking ground in 2013 on their 21st Century version of a multigenerational industry, Nancy fully immersed herself in all things salt. We became fast friends the moment Lewis and his wife Paige introduced us at an intimate dinner party at their home. I had the good fortune of being a salt taster early on, before they had coined their name J.Q. Dickinson SaltWorks, and catered their big family feast for their website photo shoot.

Nancy blends her many talents as a formally trained chef and entrepreneur to become a salty success story. Her enthusiastic expansion of the family business earned her the accolade of West Virginia Wonder Woman. When she isn’t at work in Malden, you can find her preparing delicious meals in her kitchen or exploring the food scene outside of West Virginia traveling with her kids.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Shrimp and sausage skewers with smoked paprika glaze. I think it can come together in about 20 minutes, or to save time you can ditch the skewers and do it as a sheetpan roast.

What’s your favorite city? New York City. I love the eclectic mix of food and the vibrancy of the food scene. I always find something interesting and new. I usually go twice a year, once each for business and pleasure.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? Noah’s Restaurant & Lounge. I love that he’s raising a lot of his vegetables and he’s the one in the kitchen. You can feel the love in the food.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? a jar of preserved Meyer lemons, always something I keep on hand. I love the flavor! Not as tart as regular lemons and it’s salty which of course I love.

Who taught you to cook? Started with my parents! They always enjoyed cooking together. Some of my fondest family memories are from the kitchen and around the family table. Someone would put the phone receiver in the kitchen drawer so we wouldn’t have any interruptions at dinner. My mom would sign me up for children’s cooking classes and in high school I went to a French cooking series in Washington, D.C. After college, I went to culinary school. I can’t forget Otis! He’s an important mentor as well. I worked for him at his shop Laury’s Gourmet two summers during college.

What’s your go-to dish for company? I love braised dishes! They’re easy to have finished in a warm oven. In the winter I’ll do a braised pork shoulder in Guinness Stout with balsamic vinegar and sour cherries. It’s not a 20 minute recipe. In the summer I like serving al fresco, something off the grill with a big salad.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I love Mumford and Sons, Avici. I love Don McLean’s American Pie.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? I’m a coffee drinker. I love coffee! Decaf. People who drink decaf should not be ignored. I love decaf espresso with frothed milk.

Most stained cookbook? Probably my mother’s cookbook Let’s Have An Affair. My next one is New Basics. I use books for inspiration and look at recipes then throw it together to make it my own.

Indispensable kitchen tool? My chef’s knife for sure, and my Peltex whip. It’s great for turning fish and eggs.

Staple childhood comfort food? Eggs & toast. Two softboiled eggs with lots of butter and salt and pepper. It makes me feel good! You’ve gotta get the eggs just right though. I’m a big fan of egg cookery. People take them for granted. When I was a guest on Jeff Shirley’s Three Things, my ‘favorite’ and ‘future’ were all about eggs.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Julia Child. I would want to be in the kitchen with her and then sit down at the table with her. Just the two of us or maybe Paul could come. Can I ask for this to be in France?

Best thing you’ve ever eaten in an airport? In Spain, Iberico ham sandwich on really good crusty bread. I could eat that daily, or three times a day. The Madrid airport. American airports are getting better.

Go-to olive oil? It’s hard to have just one! I love the Villa DiTrapano for finishing and Colavita for everyday.

Ideal grilled cheese? Bread is very important. Sourdough, mix of cheeses. Swiss, Havarti and spread a little goat cheese on there, too. Lots of butter on the bread and griddle until it’s almost charred.

Favorite pizza topping? Prosciutto with arugula.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I would love to do something in the South of France. If I can dream, I’d look for a five day intensive cooking there. Maybe I’d go with my friend April. (!!!)

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Go with your instincts when you’re cooking. It’s okay to mess with a recipe, you don’t have to follow it exactly. This is why I don’t do a lot of baking.

Three things next to your stove? Salt and pepper and olive oil. Yes, of course JQ Dickinson salt and I like Telicherry peppercorns in a grinder.

What’s your favorite sports team? I really like the Green Bay Packers. I love that they’re owned by the fans. I gave my son one share for Christmas. It’s fun to say, ‘hey! I’m part of this team.’

Tossed with a smoked paprika glaze, shrimp, Cajun sausage, peppers and onions roast in a blazing oven for a super delicious weeknight meal. For a dressier presentation, skewer and grill the ingredients for company.

Nancy’s Shrimp and Sausage with Smoked Paprika Glaze

Nancy threads the dressed shrimp, sausage, and vegetables on skewers before cooking and suggests rice as a serving accompaniment. Oven-roasting the ingredients on a sheetpan and serving with fast cooking couscous makes for an easy weeknight meal. I placed my sheetpan on top of my oven’s pizza stone to really get things sizzling. The fresh herbs here remind me it’s time to start a windowsill garden!

For the glaze:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
pinch of crushed red pepper
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil

COMBINE the garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, salt, and Sherry vinegar in a small bowl. DRIZZLE the olive oil in slowly while whisking to blend.

For the sheetpan/skewers

3/4 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound Andouille sausage, cut into thick coin slices
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 small red onion, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley for serving

HEAT the oven to 400 and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil (hello easy cleanup!)

PUT the shrimp in a bowl and toss with about 3 tablespoons of the smoked paprika glaze.

PUT the sausage, bell pepper and onion on the prepared baking sheet, drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of the glaze and toss to coat. Push these ingredients over to cover about 2/3 of the sheetpan to make room for the shrimp.

LAY the shrimp out in a single layer on the other 1/3 of the sheetpan.

ROAST for 8 minutes, then turn the shrimp and roast for 2 minutes until shrimp are just cooked through. Remove the shrimp to a dish and continue roasting the sausage and vegetables until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes.

SERVE a scoop of sausage and vegetables with three or four shrimp, sprinkle with parsley and offer the remaining smoked paprika glaze on the side.

With thanks to Nancy for this versatile recipe loaded with the flavors of Louisiana!

Happy cooking!