Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes. This easy recipe for sausage and potatoes in the oven has to be one of my most popular recipes on here. It has had literally millions of views.
I first published it way back in 2012 on my Recipes From the Blue Binder Blog and then I moved it over here. It has been copied (including the text and photography) onto other people's pages over and over again through the years.
They do say that copying is the most sincerest form of flattery. But I will confess I don't really feel flattered when they do that, I just feel robbed, but it is what it is, and there's not a lot I can do about it.
I wish I could say that I am updating the recipe with new photos, but I can't. Its the same old photographs. I don't think it hurts to be reminded every now and then when you have a recipe that's this delicious.
With over 10 years worth of content on the blog, sometimes these golden oldies can get buried in the mix! I hope you will forgive me for repeating myself.
This is a FABULOUS recipe. I love sheet pan suppers. They are so quick and easy to make and when you are talking about smoked sausage and potatoes, DELICIOUS as well!
No fuss, no muss, very little to clean up afterwards!
This fabulous sheet pan sausage and potatoes dinner has everything you need for a delicious dinner. Smoky rounds of sausage, gilded brown on the edges. Lightly caramelized onions . . .
Crisp golden brown cubes of potato. All herby and crisp on the outsides, and meltingly tender on the insides.
This is a tasty supper that is simple, delicious and economical. Plus you only need five basic ingredients to pull it off. Smoked sausage, potatoes, onions, some oil and seasonings. Oh, plus cheese if you are wanting to add an extra special touch.
You can of course fancy it up by adding chopped peppers or other vegetables, but to be honest, it is pretty darned perfect just as is. Why mess with perfection?
It makes for a wonderful supper to throw into the oven on those nights when you just can't be asked to cook anything complicated. Perfect for nights when you have been dashing about all day coping with one thing or another and I can tell you this . . .
Ain't nobody ever turned up their noses at this one! Seriously. Unless they are vegetarian I suppose. Its quite simply delicious.
The smoked sausage is sliced into coins and then tossed together with cubed potato. I like to use a baking type of potato as they roast the best. A russet in North America is best, whilst in the UK I would use a King Edward or a Maris Piper.
You add some oil to this. I like to use a light olive oil. Never Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Using EVOO for cooking is a tad pretentious I believe. Its wonderful for salads, but for cooking, its a waste of olive oil in my opinion.
I just use a light olive oil, which is still good for you, but a bit cheaper. You can also use a canola or sunflower seed oil.
I like to use a mix of herbs and seasonings in this. Salt and pepper of course. I like fine sea salt. I love the purity of its flavor and I usually grind my pepper fresh.
Add to that some sweet paprika. This gives a touch of flavor but I mostly use it for the color it adds to the dish. You could use smoked paprika if you want to add an extra touch of smokiness and some zip, but I am happy with just the sweet.
In addition I add some dried thyme. This adds a lovely herby touch. If you don't like thyme just use an herb that you do like. Marjoram is nice as is rosemary. You don't want anything that will be too overpowering however, so be judicious in whatever you choose to use.
I also like summer savory.
It all gets mixed together and spread out onto a baking sheet before roasting in a moderate to high oven. (200*C/400*F) You do need to stir it every fifteen minutes or so. This helps to keep anything from sticking to the pan and gives your potatoes and sausage a better chance of gilding golden brown all over.
The final piéce de resistance is the smattering of cheddar cheese that you scatter over top at the end. I like to use a good cheddar. If you use a good strong one, you don't need as much, but well . . .
In all honesty I have never been really good at moderation, so add as much as you want, or as much as you think your family will enjoy.
And that is one promise I can make to you. Your family WILL enjoy this a lot! I like to serve it with baked beans and crusty bread, maybe some pickled beets. All in all a most delicious supper that is easy to make, easy to clean up after and well received.
Supper just doesn't get much better than that!
Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
Yield: 4
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
An easy and simple meal that is also economical . . . oh, and pretty delicious too!!
Ingredients
- 1 package of smoked sausage
- (Peel if necessary, and slice into rounds)
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- olive oil
- fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- sweet paprika
- dried thyme
- a handful of grated strong cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray (with sides) with several sheets of foil, and drizzle with a bit of oil. Spread the oil out over the pan. Set aside.
- Put the sausage rounds, onions and potatoes into a large bowl. Drizzle with a couple TBS of olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper, paprika and dried thyme. Toss together with your hands until everything is evenly distributed. Pour this out onto the baking tray, and spread it out as much as you can.
- Place into the heated oven and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender. Turn off the oven. Scatter the cheese over top of the cooked meat and potatoes, Pop back into the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.
One of my absolute favorites of all the soups has to be Tomato Soup. It is the ultimate in comfort food to me, and probably one of the very few tinned soups I will eat and enjoy. Although in all honesty, even in the world of tomato soup homemade is infinitely better!
Tomato & Rice Soup is my favorite of all the Tomato Soups. There used to be a restaurant where you could get really great Tomato & Rice Soup here in Canada. I can't remember which one it was, but they had bits of spinach in the soup. It was lovely.
Growing up, the thought never occurred to me that anyone would make tomato soup from scratch. Mom never did, and she was the Queen of the homemade soups! Her homemade soup was legendary.
I guess I just always thought that if mom never made homemade tomato soup, then it must have been too hard, or it must have required highly unusual ingredients that nobody could get, etc.
It was when I was married to my first husband that I realized that people could make their own tomato soup at home. Completely from scratch. Without opening a tin from Campbells or Heinz.
And that it wasn't all that difficult to make. Not difficult to make at all. My sister in law was making homemade soup for my brother in law and my curiosity was piqued. I had to taste it. It was very good. VERY good.
That simple experience started me on the journey of making my own from scratch Tomato Soup and I have never looked back. Making your own from scratch is simple, using nothing at all out of the ordinary. In fact, I am sure you have everything in your house right now to make a delicious pot.
And it really isn't much further of a stretch to make Tomato & Rice Soup. I quite adore it. If you are like me, and you keep cans of good tinned tomatoes in your store cupboard, with a few other bits, you are never far away from a tasty bowl of tomato soup.
When I was in the UK, I always used Cirio brand Italian tomatoes. They were the best in my opinion. I haven't sorted out who the best would be here in Nova Scotia yet. It will take a bit of trial and error.
It just stands to reason however that if you are making a homemade tomato soup, with tomatoes as the main ingredient, you want a good brand of tomatoes. And you want tomatoes packed in tomato juice. These will give you the best flavor for your soup.
A bit of carrot, some onion, celery, garlic . . . nothing outrageously out of the ordinary. Things most people keep in their refrigerators most of the time! The Basics.
Tomato & Rice Soup is also a great way to use up leftover cooked rice. I prefer brown rice myself as it has more fiber and a higher nutritional value. As an older person, this might be my main meal of the day and I like to pack as much fiber and nutrition into it as I can.
Likewise I use a bit of whole-wheat flour to thicken it, but you can of course use just all purpose flour if that is all you have. Fiber and nutrition wherever I can sneak it in.
You do also need a bit of chicken stock. If you want to make it vegetarian, by all means use vegetable stock. You can use powdered or cubes, or if you are really lucky and happen to have some, fresh chicken or vegetable broth. It comes in tetra packs here in Canada. Very impressed with that!
I use a few dried herbs. Oregano and basil for that real Italian flavor. You could also use some basil pesto if you really wanted to pack an Italian punch into this soup. Personally I just like the herbs.
I do like to add a splash of hot sauce. Tabasco preferably. Its just what I have always used. How much you add depends on how much heat you want to add. I err on the side of caution because I don't like things overly spicy/hot.
If you have fresh basil, you can add some of that by all means. I often add a handful of fresh spinach (stems removed) just prior to serving this. That way it keeps its dark green color. You could add the basil at the same time.
You don't want to be adding much however. Remember there is already dried basil in the soup and basil is one of those things that can very easily be overdone.
One thing I really love about this soup is its texture. I love that it is not pureed, and that the vegetables are all kept whole, especially the chunks of tomato.
It makes for a heartier feeling finish. It also looks really nice I think, to see all the flecks and chunks. Most attractive.
I do like to add a bit of cream at the end for added richness. Normally I use undiluted evaporated milk. Its much lower in fat and cost for that matter. You can buy it in small cans for smaller families also. But if you aren't worried about fat or calories, just use the cream!
I am at the point now in my life where I almost don't want to worry about the fat and calories of cream. I have nobody to impress and its not like I have it very often. So why not enjoy what you can in life while you are still here to enjoy it.
In any case I hope you will make this and enjoy it as much as I do. I like it with crisp saltine crackers (Italian crackers in the UK) but a crusty roll is just as nice along side of this fabulously tasty soup!
Tomato & Rice Soup (small batch)
Yield: 2-3
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
Wholesome, delicious and perfectly sized for the small family.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 stalks celery, plus leaves, chopped
- 1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 TBS butter
- 1/2 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup (130g )cooked brown rice
- 1 (14 oz/400g) tins whole plum tomatoes in tomato juice, undrained
- 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp each oregano and basil flakes
- 1 cup (240ml) chicken stock
- 1/2 cup (120ml)light cream
- (I use low fat evaporated milk)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- a splash hot sauce if desired
Instructions
- Heat the butter and the oil in a large saucepan until the butter begins to foam. Add the celery, onion, carrot and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally over medium low heat until the onion is golden. Stir in the flour and rice, breaking up the rice. Continue to sauté until the rice begins to brown a bit. Add the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon, the chicken stock, brown sugar, oregano and basil and a splash of hot sauce if using. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a very slow simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with some salt and black pepper. Stir in the cream and heat through without boiling. Serve immediately.
If you are more interested in cooking a larger recipe of this soup (feeding 4 to 6) you can simply double all of the ingredients, or you can find my full sized recipe here.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Cowboy Casserole. Such a simple name, but wow, what fabulous flavours. This recipe I am sharing with you today is one I have adapted from a cookerybook entitled the Betty Crocker Ultimate Bisquick Cookbook.
I bought it second hand from Amazon. Most of the time their second hand books are quite reasonable and in fairly decent shape. My heart breaks when I think of the cookbook collection I had to leave behind in the UK. All of my Dorie Greenspan books, etc. I will hopefully gradually be able to build the collection back up again in time. We will see.
One thing which appealed about this recipe is the fact that it seemed relatively simple to make and did not require a lot of ingredients. My sister had taken a pound of ground beef from the freezer. I made several suggestions as to what we could make with it.
Most received a nay. This recipe did tempt them however, and I got the go-ahead. Whew! You can use ready made Bisquick for this or you could make your own baking mix to use in this. I always made my own baking mix when I was in the UK. You can get that recipe here.
You could also make a homemade biscuit dough of a dropping consistency to drop over top of the casserole. I have included some instructions on how to do that in the recipe.
All work well. All are delicious, although I do have to say I am a bit partial to the homemade biscuit dough. It is probably because of the butter. 😋 Butter makes everything tastier.
I am not sure why it is called Cowboy Casserole. Probably because of the ground beef and the baked beans. Surely cowboy types of foods. Many a cowboy has been sustained by ground beef and baked beans when out on the range.
My sister buys organic grass-fed beef. She buys it at a local farm market, frozen in one pound packages. When I was in the UK I bought ground steak from my local butcher.
In any case you want to use a good quality of ground beef here. You want it fairly lean. I think if I was living on my own I would just grind up my own steak for this.
I cannot stand cheap ground beef. Not only do you end up pouring half of it away in fat, which is a huge colossal waste of money, but it stinks when you are cooking it.
There is no economy in buying cheap ground meat. The fat content is far too high for one thing. And you are paying for all of that fat. Fat which you will not be eating.
Or at least that you shouldn't be eating, not if you care for your arteries anyways. A small amount of fat is okay, but I would never use beef that had any more than 5 % fat in it. This is just my way of thinking and how I like to do things.
But then again ground beef has never really been a favourite of mine and not something I would eat at all when I was growing up. And I am really not fond of it mixed with other things, as in casseroles. Its a texture thing.
You know what they say . . . . there's naught so queer as folk. And some of us are a bit weirder than others! We are all different and I like to celebrate our differences as much as I can!
Life would be incredibly boring were we all the same! Now back to the casserole.
You need a tin of baked beans for this, and some prepared BBQ sauce. You could make your own BBQ sauce if you wanted to. For this recipe you would need tomato ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestshire sauce, dry mustard powder and some seasoning.
I would start with 1/2 cup (120g) of the ketchup and add 1 TBS each of the brown sugar and cider vinegar. 1 tsp of dry mustard powder, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and then salt and black pepper to your taste.
If you have it you could add liquid smoke to really give it that campfire taste.
We used an ordinary can of original baked beans. (Bush's) In the UK you could use Heinz or any other brand. I think in something like this the brand of baked beans doesn't really matter that much overall.
I did find that the mixture was a bit too thick and so I added a bit of boiling water to thin it out a bit and it could have been a bit thinner still I think. You judge accordingly.
You don't want it too thin and you don't want it too thick. I would also be tempted to add an additional half a can of beans, but then I really like baked beans.
You could really amp it up by adding some chopped onion, green chillies and garlic when you are frying the ground beef. That would give it it a bit of delicious heat, but it is up to you!
As you can see it was fairly thick. The biscuit dough absorbs some of the liquid, so don't be afraid to make your beef mixture a bit thinner!
Its really delicious however, so don't mess with the flavours too much. They don't do salt at all in this house so I only added some ground black pepper. And to be honest you really didn't need any salt.
I've never been one to add a lot of salt to things anyways, but I often do add a tiny bit to things. Its all a matter of taste and what you are used to. Using less salt never hurt anyone.
And in fact its much better for you to use less.
We actually used a Tex Mex mix of cheese to sprinkle on top that we had leftover from some natchos we had made around New Years. It was a tiny bit spicy so that worked well with the rest of the flavours.
I would normally use a good strong cheddar cheese. The stronger the flavour of your cheese, the less you need to use. Its a fact.
Anyways, I think this was enjoyed. I had no complaints really and I did enjoy it myself. I served it with some homemade coleslaw. I do make good coleslaw if I don't say so myself.
You can find my coleslaw recipe here. Creamy Coleslaw. Its my favourite. I don't always add the cucumber. Yesterday it was only cabbage, carrots and some scallion/spring onion. BBQ always goes well with coleslaw.
I hope you will want to give this a go. I highly recommend it for a fabulously tasty, family friendly, mid-week supper entree!
Cowboy Casserole
Yield: 6
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mintotal time: 35 Min
Quick, easy and incredibly delicious. This tasty casserole uses only a few ingredients, cooks quickly and is a real family pleaser.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453g) extra lean ground beef
- 1 can (16 oz/453g) baked beans
- 1/2 cup (120g) BBQ sauce
- 2 cups (240g)Original Bisquick
- 2/3 cup (160ml) milk
- 1 TBS softened butter
- 1/2 cup (40g) grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven o 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Have ready a 2 litre/Qt casserole dish. No need to butter it.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Crumble in the ground beef. Scramble fry the beef for 5 to 7 minutes until browned and no longer pink. Drain if needed.
- Add the BBQ sauce and baked beans, stirring everything thoroughly together. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Keep warm.
- Stir together the baking mix, softened butter and milk.
- Pour the beef mixture into the baking dish. Smooth over and then drop the baking mix over top by spoonfuls to cover.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes until the biscuit topping is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Return to the oven for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve hot.
notes:
You can make your own biscuit mixture from scratch to drop on top very easily. Whisk together 2 cups (280g) all purpose flour with 4 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 1/2 cup (120g) butter until crumbly. Stir in 3/4 cup (180ml) milk until you have a soft droppable dough. Proceed as above. You may need more milk to get the right consistency.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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