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Tim Trojian of Foxfire Mountain House shares a cozy recipe for oven-roasted sausages with scalloped potatoes and rapini.
Tim Trojian
Foxfire Mountain House, Mount Tremper
The Situation: For after-work meals and on days off, Trojian looks for dishes that you can simply stick in the oven and then have some free time. “The recipe I’m sharing takes about an hour to cook so once it’s in, you’ve got time to shower, play with the kids, work out, whatever you want,” he explains, “and then you can sit down to a tasty supper.”
The Solution: Oven-roasted sausages with scalloped potatoes and rapini. “This is a comfort-food dish that’s easy to make,” he says.
Here’s Why: Trojian’s hack of cooking the sausage on a rack over the potatoes is just genius. “I came up with this method after I made the dish with two pans and saw all the delicious fond [the caramelized bits from the sausages] on the bottom of the roasting pan,” he explains, “so I thought why not let that drip into the potatoes to add flavor and crispness?”
Oven-Roasted Sausages With Scalloped Potatoes and Rapini
6 medium-sized yellow potatoes
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Nutmeg, garlic powder, and caraway powder
1 cup shredded hard cheese of choice
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium red onion, julienned
¾ cup milk or milk substitute
8 chorizo sausages (or any sausage of your choice)
1 bunch rapini (broccoli rabe), chopped, or any other bitter vegetable
½ lemon
Preheat oven to 375°F. Scrub the potatoes and remove any eyes, but don’t peel. Slice into ¼-inch slices and place in a mixing bowl. Add the flour and toss to gently coat (discard any excess flour). Season with salt and pepper, plus a pinch of nutmeg and a dash each of caraway and garlic powder. Mix in cheese.
Heat a cast-iron skillet or other heavy oven-safe pan on medium high. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté the onion until it starts to brown. Layer the potato mixture on top of the onions and top the mixture with the milk to come just to the top of the potatoes.
Place potatoes on lower rack in the oven. Place the sausages on rack directly over the potatoes. Roast the dish, letting the juices from the sausage drip onto the potatoes, for about an hour, or until potatoes are crispy.
Right before they’re done, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add the rapini and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain, toss with the remaining tablespoon of butter and the juice of half a lemon.
To serve, place the sausages and its drippings (a few spoons worth) around the potatoes, put the rapini in a serving bowl, and enjoy with your favorite spicy mustard and a side salad.
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