We Americans don't cook nearly enough sausage bakes. In Britain, those glorious one-pan meals of vegetables topped with browned sausages are standard weeknight fare — easy to throw together, endlessly variable and as cozy and warming as supper should be.
Here, in the United States, we are more likely to roast a chicken over those same vegetables, but that takes twice as long. As for sausages, frying or broiling is our go-to, but while they get the job done quickly, they won't give you a full dinner.
This recipe embraces the British model, baking vegetables and sausages together for a simple yet satisfying meal.
My usual instinct for preparing this kind of dinner is to pull out a rimmed sheet pan, but in this case, a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or a small roasting pan is a wiser choice. A smaller pan brings all the ingredients closer, so the sausage juices can better mingle with the ingredients. The increased depth is also an asset, allowing for some steaming, which helps cook the sturdy potatoes and cabbage. If you have a metal pan, you'll get the maximum amount of browning on the potatoes. But I've also made this in a ceramic dish, and there were still golden spots.
You can make this with any kind of meaty sausages: spicy turkey or lamb, chicken or duck, classic pork bratwurst, chorizo or hot Italian links. For a dish as unfussy as a sausage bake, using what you've got is part of the appeal.
Sausages With Potatoes and Red Cabbage
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating
½ pound baby potatoes, halved crosswise or quartered if large
¼ head red cabbage, core removed, cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
½ teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly crushed
½ teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 thyme sprigs
1 rosemary sprig
2 or 3 fresh pork, turkey, chicken or other sausages
Dijon mustard, for coating and serving
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
½ lemon
2 tablespoons chopped dill
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with some of the olive oil. Arrange potatoes, cut side down, on one half of the pan. Arrange cabbage wedges on the other side, overlapping slightly to fit.
Sprinkle caraway and coriander seeds and ¼ teaspoon salt on top. Scatter onions in an even layer and drizzle with 2 the tablespoons oil. Tuck in thyme and rosemary sprigs. Bake for 25 minutes.
Cut sausages in half lengthwise, then use a pastry brush or spoon to coat mustard all over the pieces.
When potatoes and cabbage have roasted for 30 minutes, remove baking pan from oven and use tongs to flip cabbage (but not potatoes). Sprinkle everything with parmesan, arrange sausages, cut side down, on top of cabbage and potatoes, and return to oven.
Roast until vegetables and sausages are browned on top, another 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the kind of sausages. The sausages are done when they are no longer pink inside and browned on top.
Remove from oven and transfer sausages to a plate. Discard herb sprigs, grate lemon zest over the vegetables and sprinkle with dill. Cut the zested lemon into wedges. Return sausages to pan (or transfer everything to a serving platter) and serve immediately with more mustard and lemon wedges on the side.
Makes 2 to 3 servings.
Food on 04/17/2019