Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake

We had the missionaries coming over for their supper this evening and I wanted to cook them something a little bit different. I picked up some tasty sausages at our local butchers . . . the Irish 4 Nations ones, his own herby mix and oh so delicious!



It's not a great time of year for mashed potatoes though . . . and I have a ton of new potatoes from the garden that I need to use, and so I decided that I would make a sausage dish that would stand up well on it's own, with perhaps a few boiled new potatoes on the side.



I did a search and found this fabulous one in one of my Jamie Oliver cookbooks. I liked it because it's just kind of thrown together loosely and it all bakes in one dish. It's herby and moreishly tasty . . . the tomatoes get all meltingly tender and squishy . . . just perfect for sopping up with some crusty bread.



The sausages get all crusty on the outside, whilst remaining tender and moist on the insides . . . oh so good. All in all it was pretty wonderful and the lads really ate it up! If you're looking for something tasty and delicious to do with your sausages, look no further! This is it. (I know the pictures are not the greatest. It didn't photograph well and Todd wouldn't let me take photos at the table!)



I served this along with a pan of sauteed new Potatoes Lyonnaise and some fresh peas from the garden and of course a crusty loaf. MMMMM . . . good!



*Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Beautifully baked sausages on a bed of sweet cherry tomatoes, flavoured with balsamic and herbs. Oh so scrummy! You'll want some crusty bread with this to help sop up all the juices!

You will want a 10 by 12 inch baking dish
Enough cherry tomatoes to cover the bottom of the baking dish
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
2 long sprigs of rosemary, cut in half
2 sprigs of thyme, separated into 4 bits
2 small bay leaves
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
extra virgin olive oil
good quality balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 good quality pork sausages

Preheat the oven to 190*C/374*F/ gas mark 5.

Fit all the cherry tomatoes into the baking dish snugly. Tuck the springs of rosemary and thyme in here and there, along with the mashed cloves of garlic. Tuck in the bay leaves and sprinkle the whole thing with the oregano, some sea salt and black pepper to taste. Drizzle with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, again to taste. Lay the pork sausages on top.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until the sausages are beginning to brown. Take out of the oven and flip the sausages over. Return to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the sausages are cooked through and the tomatoes are meltingly tender and juicy. Serve some of the tomatoes on each heated plate along with several of the sausages on top. Pass the bread!