Braised Sausages & White Beans with Leek, Apple and Mustard
Rich, mustardy braised sausages and white beans that only need crusty bread to mop it all up.
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
6-8 good quality butcher sausages (a mix of Toulouse and pork, apple and sage works well)
1 tbsp oil
2 leeks, cut into 1cm rounds
1 green Granny Smith apple, cubed
4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbsp hot English mustard
Splash of white wine or apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-1.5 tbsp chicken stock powder
2 x 400g cans white beans (a mix of cannellini and butter beans is lovely), drained
700ml water
A few large handfuls English spinach (or any dark leafy green)
Lemon zest, to finish
Parmesan, grated, to finish
Pepper, for seasoning
Crusty bread, to serve
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Fry the sausages in a large ovenproof frying pan or sauté pan with a lid, in a single layer, until deep golden brown on both sides. Set aside.
Add the oil to the pan with the leeks. Add a splash of water and sauté, partially covered with the lid to help them steam and soften, until golden.
Add the apple and cook briefly until lovely and golden.
Add the garlic and rosemary and cook until the garlic is slightly golden.
Add the mustard and cook briefly, the heat cooks off, leaving just the mustardy flavour.
Deglaze the pan with the wine or vinegar, then add the lemon juice.
Stir through the chicken stock powder and the white beans. Use a potato masher to crush some of the beans for a thicker stew.
Add the water, adjusting the amount depending on your pan size and how much liquid you'd like.
Nestle the sausages back into the pan. Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven for about 30 minutes, until bubbling and delicious.
Add the spinach in handfuls, nestled in and around the sausages. Cover with the lid and return to the oven until just wilted.
Finish with lemon zest, grated parmesan and plenty of pepper. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices.
HINTS
Crushing some of the beans with a potato masher thickens the stew without needing extra flour or cream.
The heat from the hot English mustard cooks off in the pan, leaving just the mustardy flavour behind.
For kids, swap the bread for a pot of risoni tossed with garlic and parsley alongside the stew.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 6 - guide only):
Energy: approx 10600kJ (2530kcal)
Protein: approx 115g
Fat: approx 170g
Saturated fat: approx 60g
Carbohydrate: approx 80g
Sugars: approx 15g
Fibre: approx 20g
Sodium: approx 3500mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.