Sausage brunch bake

 

 

Ingredients: - feeds eight as a main feature for a week-end brunch

1 x Ryans spiral sausage (I used a 23cm spiral) - available by special order from the lads at the butchers stall. Order a size that will fit in your cooking dish fairly comfortably.

2 by 400g tins of beans - try not to use ordinary baked beans! (Use Biona bean mix or haricot or cannellini or borlotti - whichever you prefer (I use the 3-bean mixture for added colour and interest), available at the Pantry

1 glass jar of passata tomato (sieved tomatoes) - available at the Pantry

2 large cloves of garlic, chopped fairly finely - available at The Spud Man's stall

1 large onion - roughly chopped - Veggie stall

5 tablespoons of olive oil - either Pantry or The Real Olive Company stock good options

3 large sprigs of thyme - Veggie Stall

2 teaspoons of good honey - Pantry has some available

Method:

Secure your spiral by inserting bamboo sticks through in a cross shape - this makes it much easier to handle while cooking (you'll need to snip off the left-over wood that is sticking out).

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep, frying pan. When hot, brown the sausage spiral on both sides (turning the sausage is the only tricky bit of this recipe!). Remove from pan onto a large plate.

Cook the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, under a low heat, so that the onion softens without getting too brown. After about 5 minutes, add the garlic, and cook for a further minute. Then add the thyme and allow to cook for about 10 seconds.

Drain and rinse the beans in cold water (use a sieve or colander to do this). Then add them to the onion mixture; pour over the passata - you will need about two thirds of the jar. If your pan is oven proof, leave the mixture in place; if not, put the whole mix into an oven-proof dish.

Place the sausage ring on top of the bean and tomato mixture.

Drizzle the honey over the top of the sausage.

Place the dish in the oven and cook for about half an hour. You can leave it for longer without spoiling it, although you need to check it and add some water to the beans if they are starting to dry out - add the water around the edges of the dish.

You could garnish with flat-leaf parsley or coriander before serving - not necessary but it does lift the look of the dish and adds a freshness of flavour from the herbs.

Options to serve with the sausage bake - large green salad from leaves etc from The Dublin Meath Growers stall would work really well)  tomato and mozzarella salad (try the one that the Real Olive Company have - its great); add basil, some thinly sliced red onion rings and some really good olive oil. Finally, do some oven chips - proper ones, done with fresh potatoes cut into thin wedges, and baked on trays in the oven with some olive oil (a couple of table spoons per tray is plenty). The Spud Man will advise you on which spuds work best with this