Ingredients

2 cups dried cannellini beans (12 ounces)

1 3/4 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for seasoning

Vegetable oil, for frying

1/3 cup packed sage leaves

6 thin slices pancetta or bacon

12 sausage links, such as chicken, turkey, or pork, halved lengthwise

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes, or to taste

2 teaspoons truffle oil (optional)

Freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Put beans in a large bowl; cover with cold water by 2 inches. Loosely cover; let soak overnight at room temperature.

Drain beans; transfer to a large saucepan. Cover with cold water by 2 inches; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, adding more water if necessary to keep beans covered, until beans are tender (add 1 teaspoon salt after 45 minutes), about 1 hour. Drain beans; set aside.

Heat 1 inch vegetable oil in a 4-quart heavy-bottom saucepan until it registers 365 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in small batches, fry sage leaves, turning them occasionally, until crisp, about 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Immediately season with salt. (Adjust heat between batches as necessary to keep oil at a steady temperature.) Coarsely crumble two-thirds of the sage leaves; set aside. Set aside whole leaves.

Cook pancetta in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, turning once, until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain. Reserve fat in skillet with heat off. Coarsely crumble pancetta; set aside.

Preheat grill to medium. (Alternatively, heat a grill pan over medium heat until hot.) Grill sausages, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 3 to 6 minutes (cooking time will depend on size of links and whether sausages are precooked). Transfer to a serving platter; cover to keep warm.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to reserved fat in skillet, and heat over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add reserved beans and the red-pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until warm, about 2 minutes.

Put beans in a large serving bowl, and add reserved crumbled pancetta and crumbled sage leaves, along with the truffle oil, if desired, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Season with pepper.

Just before serving, drizzle beans with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and garnish with reserved whole sage leaves. Serve with sausages.