Cumberland Sausage Traybake with Apples and Onions

Ingredients

• 🐷Pork Sausage (raw), Cumberland style if possible8 link
• 🥔White Potato, peeled and cut into chunky wedges700 g
• 🍎Apple, tart eating apples, cored and cut into wedges2
• 🧅White Onion, cut into thick wedges2
• 🧄Garlic, lightly smashed3 clove
• 🌿Rosemary, needles stripped from the stalks, plus a little for the tray2 sprig
• 🍅Dijon Mustard, for the glaze2 tbsp
• 🫙Apple Cider Vinegar, for the glaze1 tbsp
• 🍯Honey, for the glaze1 tbsp
• 🫒Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus a little more if the tray looks dry2 tbsp
• 🧂Sea Salt (fine)1 tsp
• 🧂Black Pepper (ground)to taste

Contains Celery, Garlic, Gluten, Mustard, Onion, Sulphites. AI-generated, checked against common allergens; always check labels.

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oven

   Put a large roasting tin into the oven and heat it to a hot 200°C/390°F while you prep the vegetables. The tin should feel properly hot when you lift it out later, which helps the potatoes start sizzling instead of sitting in their own moisture; if you forget this step, the traybake still works, but the edges will be less crisp.

   10 min
2. 2

   Prepare the potatoes

   Peel the White Potato on a chopping board and cut it into chunky wedges with a sharp knife, keeping the pieces about the same size so they roast evenly. The cut surfaces should look fresh and clean rather than ragged; if a wedge is much thicker than the rest, split it again so it will not stay hard in the middle.

   5 min
3. 3

   Cut the apples

   Core the Apple and slice each one into neat wedges on the chopping board, then set them aside so they can keep their shape in the oven. The pieces should be thick enough to hold together when turned; if you slice them too thinly, they collapse into sauce before the sausages are ready.

   4 min
4. 4

   Slice the onions

   Peel the White Onion and cut it into thick wedges with the sharp knife, keeping the root end on each piece so the layers stay together in the oven. The wedges should open a little at the edges but still hold their shape; if they start falling apart, they are too thin for a traybake and will burn before the sausages are done.

   4 min
5. 5

   Smash the garlic

   Lay the Garlic Clove flat under the side of the knife and press down firmly so the skins split and the cloves flatten slightly. You want them bruised and opened rather than finely chopped, which keeps them sweet and mellow in the oven; if a clove flies apart, just gather the pieces back together.

   2 min
6. 6

   Strip the rosemary

   Pull the needles from the Fresh Rosemary sprigs with your fingers and chop them roughly on the chopping board so the flavour spreads evenly through the tray. The leaves should be small enough to scatter but still recognisable; if you leave long woody bits in, they stay unpleasantly sharp after roasting.

   2 min
7. 7

   Mix the glaze

   In a mixing bowl, whisk the Dijon Mustard, Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt (fine) and Black Pepper (ground) until glossy and smooth. The dressing should look like a loose, shiny glaze with no streaks of mustard left behind; if it looks split, keep whisking briskly and it will come back together.

   2 min
8. 8

   Toss the tray

   Tip the White Potato, White Onion and Garlic Clove into the hot roasting tin and scatter over the Fresh Rosemary, then spoon over the glaze and toss everything with a spoon so the vegetables are coated and beginning to shine. The tin should hiss softly and the surfaces should look lightly lacquered; if the vegetables seem dry, add a little more Extra Virgin Olive Oil so they roast rather than scorch.

   3 min
9. 9

   Nestle in the sausages

   Lay the Pork Sausage (raw) over and between the vegetables so each one has some direct contact with the hot tin, then roast for about 15 minutes until the casings start to firm and the underside is beginning to colour. If the sausages sit on top of a mound of vegetables, press them down gently so they can brown instead of pale-steaming on top.

   15 min
10. 10

    Add the apples

    Scatter the Apple wedges over the tray and turn everything once with a spoon so the fruit catches the glaze without losing its shape, then roast for another 15 minutes until the apples are tender at the edges and the onions are soft and caramelised. They should smell sweet and savoury together; if the apples start browning too fast, tuck them a little deeper among the vegetables so they soften more gently.

    15 min
11. 11

    Rest and serve

    Take the large roasting tin out of the oven and let the traybake rest for about 5 minutes so the juices settle and the sausages finish relaxing. The glaze will thicken slightly as it cools and the apples will look glossy rather than wet; if the tray looks a little dry, spoon the sticky juices over the top before serving.

    5 min

Nutrition per serving