Name: Sticky Sausage Tray Bake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 red onions (cut into wedges); 6 cloves garlic (skin kept on); 2 sticks celery (sliced); 1 butternut squash (peeled, de-seeded & cubed); 2 medium carrots (peeled & cut into batons); 2 medium parsnip (peeled & cut into batons); 3 medium beetroot (peeled & cubed); 8 medium new potatoes (skin left on); 3 bay leaves; 1 small handful thyme leaves; 1 tbsp fennel seeds; 2 tbsp sunflower oil; 560 g good quality pork sausages (approx 8, allowing 2 per person); 2 tbsp maple syrup; salt & pepper

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Sticky sausage tray bake, a colourful mix of roasted vegetables with sausages sticky with maple syrup. A great one tray dish for feeding the family.

Sticky sausage tray bake is one of those dishes I turn to when I want something tasty but don’t want to slave over the stove. Aside from preparing the vegetables there is little effort required. We all need dishes like this in our repertoire for days when we don’t have time to spend preparing food. However, regardless of time, we still want to put up a dish that the family will happily eat. Sticky sausage tray bake is one of those dishes I turn to after a long Autumn day spent tidying up my garden. Tasty, warming and requiring very little in the way of actual hands-on cooking!

For those days I do like to cook a one pan tray dish and this sticky sausage tray bake does the job beautifully. This dish is an assembly job starting with the vegetable and herb base. The addition of potatoes means these can roast alongside the vegetables, avoiding the need to cook them separately. Start by roasting the vegetables for 30 minutes before adding the maple soaked sausages to the pan. Firstly, you don’t want the sausages to overcook and secondly you don’t want all the vegetables covered in maple syrup. The syrup adds a lovely flavour to the sausages. However, the vegetables are sweet once roasted and don’t require any extra sweetness added. The entire meal cooked in one pot, with the bonus that not only does it save time in preparation but also with the washing up!

How can I adapt this dish?

At this time of year, when the days start to shorten and the temperature drops outside, I want to sit down to warming plates of food. I love root vegetables but I reckon roasting them is one of my favourite ways to enjoy them. However if roasted roots really isn’t your thing then substitute with vegetables that you do like. For example you could combine, peppers, aubergine, onion, garlic and courgette. If doing this I would suggest substituting the maple syrup with some runny honey instead.

You could also leave the potatoes off the dish or replace them with sweet potatoes instead. Just adjust the cooking time to suit.

I have used a good quality pork sausage in this recipe, as that’s what my family like to eat. However you could add whatever type of sausage you like to eat, a good beef sausage would work just as well.

Points to note:

It’s worth mentioning that for this dish the garlic has been cooked in it’s skin. Garlic is very easy to burn and burnt garlic doesn’t taste that great. By leaving the skin on the garlic this allows the garlic to soften and become beautifully caramelised. Simply remind your diners to pop the garlic out of the skin before they eat it.

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Some additional recipe suggestions:

If you like this recipe then try our Cajun Chicken & Vegetable Tray Bake or Lemon & Paprika Chicken Kebabs our Spaghetti Bolognese or our Pork & Peanut Stirfry. All great family meals that are tasty and quick to prepare. If you’re looking for some new inspiration for mid week family dining, then our Ultimate Guide to Family Dinners is here to help. Full of useful hints and tips.