Dr Mobeus
Sausage and Potato Traybake
A traybake is the cook’s way of saying they cannot be bothered with multiple pans tonight. Everything goes in one roasting tray, the oven does the work, and the washing up is minimal. This version uses economy sausages, potatoes, a tin of tomatoes and an onion.
At about 65p per portion it is not the cheapest recipe in this collection, but it is a full hot meal that requires almost no effort. Six economy sausages from Tesco or Asda cost around 90p, four potatoes are about 40p, and the rest is store cupboard stuff.
The key is roasting the potatoes on their own first. They need a head start to get crispy, otherwise the tomato juice stops them from ever properly browning. The sausages go in next, then the tomatoes last so they form a sauce rather than a soup.
Sausage and Potato Traybake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Put the potato chunks in a large roasting tray and toss with the oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes on their own so they start to crisp at the edges.
- Add the sausages and onion wedges to the tray, tucking them between the potatoes. Roast for another 15 minutes, turning the sausages once.
- Pour the chopped tomatoes and water over everything, sprinkle with the dried thyme, and return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the sausages are cooked through and the tomato sauce is bubbling and thickened.
- Check a sausage is piping hot all the way through with no pink remaining, then serve straight from the tray.
Tips and Variations
Use economy sausages for this – they actually work better than premium ones because they absorb the tomato sauce as they cook. Any variety of potato works but floury ones like Maris Piper give the best crispy edges. Swap the dried thyme for a teaspoon of smoked paprika if you want a deeper flavour.
