Cooking With Nigel - Baked Apple Chicken Sausages and Golden Mash

I'm not quite through with my fascination with bangers and mash, as you can see. This week's version highlights apple chicken sausages that are browned and baked with onions, apple slices, fresh thyme leaves, black pepper, and a brown sugar sweetened gravy of broth and dark beer.



I lifted the basic recipe from Nigel Slater's Notes From the Larder cookbook, but added the apples to the mix and subbed out pork sausages so I could bring in apple chicken sausages. Pretty tasty, I must say. So ... most of this recipe is Nigel Slater's ... to him goes the credit and my adoration for the wonderfully buttery potato mash ... one more lovely tater dish to add to the mix!

And since it's potluck week at I Heart Cooking Club, I can double dip once more! Of all the IHCC chefs and cooks, Nigel is right up there neck and neck with Madhur Jaffrey in the race for my favorite. So next potluck, I'll work with Madhur to bring a good dish to the table! For tonight, though, it's bangers and mash with Nigel!

Note: I used a gluten free chicken sausage produced by Chef Bruce Aidells. It's advertised as GF, nitrite and hormone free ... and it's a tasty product. I also subbed out the flour in the gravy and popped in cornstarch and used a bottle of My Friend Harold's GF beer instead to keep my dinner GF. Easy subs that work ... right?

So here's the recipe -

Nigel Slater’s Slow Baked Sausages and Mash

altered for my taste

Serves 2

4 chicken apple sausages

A bit of olive oil

1 large onion, halved length-wise and thinly sliced

1 large Empire apple, quartered and cored, sliced into thin wedges

A bit of butter

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 ⅔ c. chicken stock

¾ c. GF dark beer

2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

4 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes

3 tbsp. butter

A bit of the water from cooking the potatoes

Kosher salt and black pepper

Making the Dish:

1. Peel the potatoes and place them in a pan of cold water. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°.
3. Brown the sausages in a fry pan with a bit of olive oil. Transfer them to an oven baking pan.
4. Place the prepped onions and apples in the same hot fry pan, add a bit more oil and sauté until they just begin to take on some golden brown color.
5. Add the cornstarch and a bit of butter to the pan and stir to make a roux.
6. Add the broth and brown sugar, stirring to begin thickening.
7. Pour the gravy and onions and apples over and around the sausages.
8. Drizzle in the beer and sprinkle on the thyme leaves.
9.  Cover loosely and pop in the preheated oven. Bake for about 45 minutes.
10. While the sausages bake, boil the potatoes and then mash them with butter and a bit of their cooking water (you can add milk if you wish). Keep the taters warm until serving time.
11. Serve with grated and sauteed cabbage and cold beers.