Get cosy with our autumn sausage and root vegetable bake
Back again with our monthly recipe column Francesca McKay shares her delicious sausage bake.
This is a lovely way to use up autumn’s harvest. A delightful mixture of flavours, textures and colours, this looks impressive on the plate, is warming and comforting and is packed full of nutrients to boost our health during the cold months.
Autumn Colours and Flavours
I’ve said to use a mix of root veg as really, anything works here – squash, pumpkin, beetroot, sweet potato, celeriac, carrots, parsnips. turnip, Jerusalem artichoke; whatever you find that is fresh and abundant will work here. I like to use a mix of colours to make it look dazzling on the plate so try to use a variety of available veg.
Braeburns are sweet but tangy and will hold their shape more than other apples but feel free to use whatever apples you find. Likewise, I have used a mix of apple cider and balsamic vinegars but you can just double up the quantity of just one if that’s all you can find. The cider, vinegars, oil and juice from the sausages melt and mix together to create a tangy, sweet glaze that you will use to coat the dish once it’s plated.
Preparation then relaxation!
There are a few steps here but really all the work is in the preparation; set aside a few minutes to get your veg ready then let the oven do the work for you to caramelise the veg and roast the sausages – cooking it all in one dish also makes clean up so simple!
Sausage and autumn vegetable bake
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 60 mins
Serves: makes 4
Ingredients:
- 8 higher welfare sausages
- 1kg mixed root veg, washed and chopped into large chunks
- 2x red onions, peeled and quartered (leave the root attached)
- 1 braeburn apple, peeled, cored and sliced into 8
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole
- Olive oil
- 100ml cider
- 40ml apple cider vinegar
- 40ml balsamic vinegar
- Salt & pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C
- Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into a large oven proof dish and add the onion, root veg and garlic. Give it all a good mix so the veg is lightly coated by the olive oil
- Season with salt and pepper, pour over the cider, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes
- While the root veg is cooking, peel and prepare the apple and mix together the vinegars
- Turn the temperature up to 200°C, uncover the foil and discard
- Give everything a good toss around the dish, place the sausages on top, pour over the vinegar mix, give another little drizzle of olive oil and a pinch more salt and pepper then return to the oven for 15 minutes
- Turn the sausages over, add the apple and roast for a further 10 – 15 minutes until the sausages are golden brown and the root veg soft
- Divide into portions then drizzle the leftover juices across the top
- Serve with buttered greens and more of the crisp cider!
