This one-pan supper goes together in under 5 minutes. And just cooks away in the oven until it’s time to eat. It may be the most elegant expression of this Eastern European classic ever. Pork Sausage, Apples and Onions were simply made to meld!
Classic Sausage, Apple & Onion Bake: With apples on
the bottom, and a scattering of shallots on top!
If there’s a classic suppertime trio in Middle- and Eastern-European cuisine, its Pork Sausage, Apples and onions! Literally every national cook book north-east of the Alps has a version of what I’m calling ‘The Three Musketeers’.
Elegant simplicty
Success with this thousand-year-old combo is as easy as slivering the onions, slicing the apples and halving or quartering the sausages- all into sizes that will be done in the same amount of baking time.
All you need it one nice fat sausage per person, a couple of medium (or one large) sweet onions, and about half a sweet, firm apple of your choice per serving. You can add more onion if you wish. (A lot of fans DO go heavier on the onions!) But don’t cover any of the ingredients with any of the other ingredients. You want this dish to roast and caramelize on top, not poach.
Arrange the sausage, apple and onion in a single layer at on a parchment-lined sheet pan or in a shallow, similarly-lined baking dish.
Scatter a few sprigs of fresh thyme over the arrayed components. And drizzle with a good olive oil (taking into account that the sausages will contribute a certain amount of fat to the dish while cooking).
Bake at on a parchment-lined sheet pan or in a or in a shallow baking dish, uncovered, in a pre-heated 350 F oven 35 to 45 min.
Magic in the details
The factors that make this dish so special are few but critical…
Make sure you use fresh thyme. But don’t go overboard. The fresh stuff is pretty pungent!
Sweet Bermuda or Vidalia Onions also elevate this dish above basic ‘yummy’ to exceptional.
Be aware that you can use pork sausage, meatballs (mildly flavoured), or even lamb or veal in this recipe.
The leaner the meat, the more oil you may need for optimum results.
Given everything else that goes into the dish, you don’t really need to add any salt. But do taste for seasoning, as you would any other dish, before serving…
Serve with…
… Classic boiled, mashed, roasted or french fried potatoes. Potatoes are the d’Artagnan (see photo, top of page) in this Alexandre Dumas-esque culinary romance. A ‘sleeper’ character in the overall adventure. But at least as important as the other, titular players when all is said and done… And eaten.
Your family and friends will request this dish at least two or three times a month!
~ Maggie J.