Sausages are an amazing ingredient, all ready to cook in their own coating, they can be fried, grilled, baked or you can be slightly more inventive and try any of the following recipes. All of the recipes here are slanted towards giving the students in our lives some inspiration! Sausages come in a whole variety of flavours so choose your favourites and try out these ideas. We think that a toulouse sausage goes well in the Sausage Casserole, whilst a leek or apple and pork sausage goes well in Toad-in-the-Hole. Let us know your favourites.
Sausage Casserole
2 sausages per person
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, peeled
1 carrot, scrubbed or peeled
3-4 new potatoes per person, washed
1 tin tomatoes
1 tin butter beans
Method
Dice the onion, carrot and potato.
The sausages can be left whole or cut into 4 pieces each, though it is easier to eat with only a fork if they are cut up before they go in the pot.
Put a tablespoon of oil in a pan that will fit all the ingredients at the end and add the onion and fry till it’s just starting to tinge with brown (about 5 mins).
Add the sausages and brown. Add the carrots, potatoes, tin of tomatoes and butter beans. Break the tomatoes up with a spoon. Fill the empty tomato tin with water and add to the pot too (this is also a good way to rinse the tin out and use up the tomatoey juice left in the bottom of the tin) so that all of the ingredients are covered with liquid. Put the lid on and simmer for about 20 minutes. Test that the potatoes are cooked by stabbing with a knife, if the knife slides in easily then they are ready.
Spaghetti with Sausage meatballs
2 sausages per person
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
tin of tomatoes
75g/3oz Spaghetti per person (unless they are very hungry people in which case use 100g/4oz per person)
(If there is no measuring equipment then a packet of spaghetti should serve 6 people so divide by however many people you are cooking for!)
Method
Skin the sausages and divide into 4, then roll them in your hands to form balls.
Put a large pan of water on to boil for the spaghetti
Dice the onion and garlic, heat the oil in a frying/saute pan and saute the onion and garlic till starting to tinge with brown, add the sausages and fry till change colour. Add the tin of tomatoes and simmer, cover with a lid if drying out too much or add a bit of water (or wine if you have it)
When the water in the pot is boiling add the spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions but usually about 8 – 10 minutes.
Test to see if the spaghetti is cooked – the traditional method for testing spaghetti is to throw it at the wall and if it sticks it’s cooked! Or you can bite the end and see if it is cooked to your taste.
Toad-in-the-Hole (serves 2)
4 sausages
1-2 tbsp oil
1 red onion
1 carrot or sweet potato
4oz/100g plain flour (or you can buy a batter mix from most supermarkets for about 35p and add the recommended amount of eggs and milk)
1 egg
pinch of salt if using flour
300ml milk (for those without a measuring jug 300ml is about a full ordinary sized mug)
Method
Heat the oven to 220C fan/200C/ gas 7
Cut the onion into wedges and slice the carrot into rounds .
Put the oil in a baking tray and add the sausages, onion and carrots and put in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
To make the batter put the flour and salt or batter mix into a bowl and add the egg, then add the milk gradually and beat with a whisk or fork until as smooth as you can make it.
After 15 minutes take the sausages out of the oven and pour the batter mix over. Put back in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes till risen and golden.
Whilst it is cooking make some gravy to serve with it.
Sausage and Rice
2 sausages
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 tbsp olive oil
handful mushrooms
tin chickpeas, drained
tomato puree
3oz/75g rice
(Again if you don’t have measuring equipment then about 1/4 to 1/3 of a mug of rice)
500ml chicken stock (or 1 and 1/2 mugs)
Method
Dice the onion and garlic (We would cut the sausages into pieces too as we find it easier to eat with just a fork). Slice the mushrooms.
Heat the oil in a saute/frying pan with a lid and add the onion and saute till tinged with brown, add the garlic and mushrooms and cook till the mushrooms are starting to soften. Add the sausages and saute till changed colour. Add the tomato puree and stir into the mixture and cook for a few minutes. Add the rice and stir till coated in the tomato and onion mixture. Add the chicken stock and chickpeas, stir well. Put the lid on and simmer for 15 minutes, turn the heat off and leave undisturbed for 10 minutes.