roast sausages with bramley apple cheddar mash

… much like our meals I think most of us are the same way about our clothes… we have have those special, spicy numbers that we pull out for special occasions.  They make us feel good and it’s always fun to show off just a little but for the every day we have it all pretty much uniform and comfortable.  I’ve found this has become even more obvious the older i’ve become.  Don’t get me wrong, I still like to think myself as a little bit edgy and I do try to stay on trend but I most definitely have a uniform, particularly in the colder months.  I favour the smart-casual look of a V-neck fine-knit with jeans and trainers and I pretty much own this combination in every colour available.  Since working with my personal trainer i’ve felt more confident about my body and have ventured, albeit very tentatively into a slightly different look.  The general observer probably wouldn’t notice anything because the colours are the same but the long-sleeve fine-kits have been replaced by a short-sleeved fine-knit with a collar.  I know.  Really breaking the fashion windows with this one.  The thing is, anyone with a lack of body confidence will tell you that even the smallest change to the routine is a bigger leap than most people can imagine. This probably all sounds very vain but I work in an industry surrounded by young millennial types and whilst this keeps me young in mind I do feel like I don’t want to alienate myself from them too far by looking like someones strange gay granddad…

roast sausages with bramley apple cheddar mash
even though it’s officially Spring and we should all be eating salads and cucumber sandwiches if you care to look out of the window you’ll find this is very much comfort food, in-front-of-the-fire, type weather… I love roasting sausages, it’s my absolute favourite and in my humble opinion, best way to cook them as they stay firm and cook evenly and because they’re sitting there in their own fat they always come out nice and juicy… and of course nothing goes better with a rich pork sausage than a creamy mash.  This mash has the added bite of the picante Bramley Apple.  The Bramley is the perfect bedfellow for any rich meat such as pork or duck and works really well with strong cheeses too so i’ve added a little extra mature cheddar into the mash.  We’ve been growing and eating the Bramley exclusively in the UK for over 200 years and because it contains a higher acid content and lower sugar levels than most other apples it produces a stronger, tangier taste that retains its flavour when cooked.  It also has that wonderful ‘melt in the mouth’ texture which is truly unique to the Bramley.

This recipe is part of a campaign that i’ve been working on since the end of last year, posting recipes with different themes along with other food bloggers.  I kicked off the campaign in October with a divine Apple and Sausage Pie recipe for Bramley Apple Pie Week and then in January I made the most incredible Apple and Parsnip Soup.  The theme for April, as the recipe in todays post suggests, is roasts.

The other bloggers taking part in the campaign are Maison Cupcake, Lavender and Lovage, A Mummy Too, Little Miss Katy and Chelsea Mama and we’ve been given 3 months each during the forthcoming year, with Sarah from Maison Cupcake and I posting recipes in the same months so hopefully we’ll be showing you how to use the wonderful Bramley in a glut of creative ways, so please do look out for our posts.

6 glorious pork sausages – I’ve used some award-winners from Aldi or you could try Pork and Bramley sausages!
1kg potatoes  – peeled and cut into chunks
100g strong cheddar
4 large bramley apples – peeled, cored and diced
butter
fresh thyme
salt and pepper

pre-heat the oven to 160C – you’ll need three oven-proof dishes

place the sausages in one of the oven proof dishes and pop them into the oven – they don’t need any additional oil or fats – bake them for 30 mins, turning them occasionally – until they’re done to a colour you like

meanwhile, place the peeled, cored and diced apples into another oven-proof dish along with a sprinkling of fresh thyme, salt and pepper and some nobs of butter and roast for 15 minutes until soft – then mash with a fork and set aside

place the potatoes into boiling water and boil until soft – drain well and place back onto a very low heat and let them dry out before mashing with plenty of butter and olive oil

place the mashed potatoes into a large bowl, grate over the cheese, add a few spoonfuls of the mashed apples and stir it all together with a wooden spoon – taste it and add a little more of the apples if you like it a little sharper – then spoon the mash into a final oven-proof dish and let it roast a little for about 15 minutes before serving

serve it all with an onion gravy of course!

if you have any Bramley recipes or are looking for further inspiration try the Bramley Apple instagram or Facebook feeds as they’re a wealth of fabulous information and lovely photo’s… and don’t forget to use #LoveBramley

eat and of course, enjoy!