Looking for some advice on why brown bits burned

Question

I was cooking this sausage and peppers recipe. I warmed up some EVO, browned the sausage on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side. They left some brown bits behind. I drained the pan of EVO and fat. There was still a slick of oil and brown bits. I then cooked the onions and peppers on the same heat (6 / medium). The brown bits seemed to dry up and eventually collected and burned.

What did I do wrong and what could I have done to prevent them brown bits from burning?

Also, how much oil are you supposed to put in the pan to brown the meat? Just enough to coat the entire bottom of the pan? More or less?

Answer 1

Stirring and scraping would prevent burned bits. The onions and peppers release water as they cook the mechanical action of stirring and scraping pulls up the brown bits before they burn and incorporates them into the peppers and onions.

Answer 2

Using less heat will help ensure that fond doesn't become charcoal. Even with a decent amount of oil still in the pan the fond can and will burn if later ingredients are cooked too aggressively before the pan is deglazed.