Smoked Sausage Casserole

Having now lived with my girlfriend for over 6 months we have, as i'm sure every couple does, each taken on certain household tasks. Rachel cleans the bathroom and washes the pots, i take the bins out, fix stuff (insert generic man noise) and do the cooking.

So going forward it is likely that the one day of the year that my little princess will cook me dinner will be on my birthday....
...and if they are all as delicious as the one produced for my recent birthday then i'll be a reasonably happy man!

The other half knows the way to my heart and with a savoury dish it's difficult to go far wrong with sausages. So on a cold November evening a smoked sausage, olive, spinach and mushroom casserole with buttery mashed potatoes really hit the bullseye.

If you're trying this the choice of sausage is very important, Rachel used the smoked pork sausages from the meat counter at our local Waitrose and the smokeyness adds a real depth of flavour to the dish that makes it a real winner. Remember for the mash a little butter does not go a long way...

Ingredients -

550g Smoked Pork Sausages
Tsp Sunflower Oil
2 Tsp Dried Oregano
2 Garlic Cloves, sliced
400g Can of Chopped Tomatoes
200ml Beef Stock
100g Pitted Black Olives in Brine
250g Pack of Mushrooms, sliced
Large Handful of Fresh Spinach  

For the Mash -

Floury Potatoes (approx 4 large)
Butter (approx 50g)
Splash of Cream (or Milk)
Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
 

• Peel and cube the potatoes and cover in boiling water. Put the lid on the pan and cook for approx 20 mins until they're nice and soft.
• Cut the sausages into 1 and a half inch pieces and fry in a little oil in a large pan until browned.
• Add oregano and garlic and continue to fry
• Pour in the chopped tomatoes, stock, olives and mushrooms then simmer until the sauce is thickened, approx 15 mins.
• Add the spinach leavesto the pot, allow to wilt and stir through.
• Go back to the potatoes, drain well, add the butter, cream and a good amount of black pepper then mash until light and fluffy. Put the mashed potatoes back onto the hob on a low heat to warm through again and to dry them out slightly.

Serves 4 - a generous portion of the mashed potato with the casserole over the top.


Happy Birthday Me!