Sausage Ragu with Sweet Potato

Sausage Ragu with Sweet Potato

Winter is here which calls for warming and comforting foods. I'm not normally a big fan of sausages, and they generally aren't very clean. But there's something about oven baked sausages in a yummy cherry tomato sauce that makes them seem so delish! This recipe is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe that I changed around a little. 

I really can't stand normal potatoes but I don't mind sweet potatoes, so this would be my healthier version of Bangers and Mash. I have in the past replaced the sausages with chicken pieces which works just as well and is a cleaner option than sausages, but today calls for the good old British favourite. The baked cherry tomatoes are a much better option than fatty gravy or salty shop bought sauces, and the balsamic vinegar adds a little twang of flavour. You could serve it with traditional mash potatoes but I don't like them, and are too starchy to be on my clean foods list. Plus sweet potatoes have enough natural flavour that I don't need to add anything but salt, pepper. And your tummy will love all the goodness from them!! 

Ingredients:
- 1kg cherry tomatoes
- 8 sausages - good butcher ones ( or chicken pieces)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- dried thyme, rosemary and oregano
- extra virgin olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 1 - 2 medium sweet potatoes

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
2. Place cherry tomatoes in a baking dish so that they are in one flat even layer. Crush garlic straight over the tomatoes. Sprinkle over the dried herbs, I don't measure them, just a good sprinkle over, and then the same with the oil and balsamic vinegar. Make it a good couple of tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar, and just enough oil to make the tomatoes glisten. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Using your hands mix everything into the tomatoes and then put them back into a layer on the tray and place sausages on top.

4. Bake for 30 minutes then turn tomatoes over and shake the pan to move the tomatoes a little and loosen them from the base of the pan.
5. Bake for another 15 - 20 minutes then check the tomatoes. If the sauce is still really runny, remove the sausages and wrap in foil. Put the tomato ragu in a saucepan and reduce down on high heat until desired consistency is achieved. Don't stir during this process, just move the pan around. The sauce is done when it is thicker and feels as though it is starting to stick to the saucepan a little. 
6. If needed put the sausages back in to reheat.

Mashed sweet potato:
1. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into small pieces and place in a saucepan of salted boiling water. Cook until soft.
2. Drain potatoes and then put them back into the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and mash with a potato masher. If it is too thick loosen with a little milk.

Serve:
1. Place mashed sweet potato and sausages on a plate and spoon tomatoes over the top. Serve with steamed vegetables.

For dinner the next day I couldn't be bothered to cook much for dinner so left over ragu was it! I made a salad of baby spinach, capsicum, cucumber, grated carrot, South West Avocado and Cottage Cheese Dressing left over roast pumpkin and of course left over ragu. I cut one sausage up into little pieces and spooned the cold sauce over the salad. It was so yummy!!!