There’s something very tempting about a dinner that pretty much makes itself in only one roasting tin. This is one of those dishes… It’s easy, delicious, not particularly expensive to prepare and really only needs a side or two to complete it. The beauty is in the simplicity and this sausage and potato traybake literally disappears within minutes every time I make it.
When I make this dish I prefer to use Lincolshire sausages because the sage in them just really works with the other flavours. You can also use Cumberland sausages as their peppery flavour compliments lemon beautifully. If you’re in America or elsewhere, any pork sausages will work or even sausage meat. It’s pretty hard if not impossible to mess this up. As for the potatoes, you can use anything you want really. I typically reach for the miniature new potatoes because they’re small and therefore cook quite quickly, getting sweeter as they roast inside their blistered skins, but you can use anything. Simply cut larger new potatoes in half or dice larger potatoes into pieces just a bit bigger than bite size. If you’re making this in Spring or early Summer, Jersey Royals will work beautifully!
In terms of serving, I recommend a crusty slice of good bread alongside to smoosh up some of the delicious pan juices and the roasted lemon pulp which becomes slightly sweeter as it cooks in the oven. Something like a chunk of baguette or a thick rustic slice of sourdough is perfect. Even a bit of garlic bread would work. I will typically also throw some green beans on the plate so I feel like we ate a vegetable, but you could really serve this with whatever you like. Some broccoli or asparagus alongside might be nice and would add some lovely colour to the plate. Let’s get started!
Serves 4 with sides
Ingredients
- 500g miniature new potatoes (or potatoes of your choice)
- 2 lemons, sliced and ends discarded
- 3 to 4 thyme stalks, leaves removed and finely chopped
- 3 to 4 rosemary stalks, leaves removed and finely chopped
- Plenty of olive oil for drizzling
- 400g Lincolnshire sausages
- Salt & pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C / 200° Fan / 425°F.
- Put the potatoes and the lemon slices directly into a large roasting tin. Drizzle generously with olive oil and toss to coat the potatoes and lemon slices. Sprinkle half of the chopped rosemary & thyme over everything and arrange it in a single layer as much as you can.
- Roast the potatoes and lemons for 25 minutes until they are starting to get a golden look to them.
- Meanwhile, as the potatoes cook in the oven, you can prepare the sausage meat. Use a sharp knife to slit the skins of the sausages and work the meat out of them. Discard the skins and crumble the meat into small chunks as best you can.
- When the 25 minutes is up, take the roasting tin out of the oven and add in the sausages along with another little drizzle of olive oil. Toss again to coat and sprinkle with the remaining herbs. Season with a little salt & pepper and return the tray to the oven for another 20 minutes or until the sausage chunks are fully cooked and the potatoes are golden, cooked through and the skins are a bit blistered. Serve hot.
