Sausage and root veg tray bake

I could eat this weekly. I loved it that much. I adore roasted root veg: the colours, the flavours, the caramelisation in the pan, especially when cooked with sausages. As you may know, I am addicted to tray bakes, as you basically just throw things in a pan and roast them. I added a huge amount of fresh herbs – rosemary, sage and thyme – but just use dried if you have them, or not at all and it’ll still be good. I also roasted lots of whole garlic with it, as we binge on garlic daily in this house. We must permanently stink of it, but we’re oblivious anyway so it doesn’t trouble us (maybe it troubles other people though).

Anyway, the kids were very selective about which components they ate of my beautiful tray bake. I.e. Artie ate sausages and some roasted carrot under duress. Bea was a bit better (however we all had to endure an epic tantrum after she dropped a sausage on the floor which Hugo the labrador quickly devoured) and ate some beetroot and carrot too.

OK – so your kids may not love the veggies in this bake, but the adults will, and at the end of the day they can just enjoy the sausages, right? I like fruity sausages in this bake, and I serve it with mustard and redcurrant jelly to slather all over everything. Thinking on, you could totally make this with veggie sausages too if you wanted too – it may not have the same caramel/sticky result, which comes from the fat and sugars, but I think it would still be nice.

Makes: enough for 4 people

Takes: about 30 minutes

• Ingredients:
• 10-12 thick pork sausages (I used pork and caramelised onion / pork and apple ones)
• 1/2 a squash
• 1 beetroot
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsnip
• Fresh herbs (or dried if you can’t get fresh): rosemary, sage, thyme
• Garlic cloves, about 5 or so, left whole but bashed a little to bruise
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Peel and cut veggies into similar type shapes. I did cresents and long thin spears. Add herbs and garlic cloves, season and toss in oil.
3. Pop sausages on top. Roast for 15 minutes.
4. Toss about the pan. Roast for another 15 minutes.
5. Serve with mustard and redcurrant jelly. A winter salad of watercress would be nice too if you wanted.