Sweet Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake

Do other people who blog about their food sometimes come across a dish that they love so much, that tasted so good and that photographed so beautifully that they almost feel the need to post only the pictures and no text, allowing the reader to construct their own narrative and/or simply bask in how good something looks while their heads inadvertantly begin to dip to the side and a glaze forms on their bicuspids? I’d like to know. The time it’s taking me to come up with something original and pithy to say about this dish is time lost allowing you to enjoy it.  Therefore, I’ll keep this one brief so you can book it to the grocery store and make the necessary purchases!

As of late, work has requried more and more of my time, so I’ve been arriving home to a darkened apartment, a belated workout start-time and a pissed-off cat.  Even so, I refuse to stay away from any recipe that looks this good, just because it requires a lot of prep or an hour-plus of cook time.  This meal gets a checkmark  only in the latter of the two columns because putting it together in the pan is simple.  Actually, it was even kind of fun.  It does take over an hour to cook, so I didn’t end up digging into it until around 10pm, which can’t be good for either my digestive system or my REM cycles.  But I polished it down, and it was well worth the wait! 

The original recipe is from Jamie Oliver, and I found it at one of my favorite food blogs, Posie’s Place, originating from Switzerland. If you don’t know Posie’s Place, it’s definitely worth the trip, but gauge your stomach-emptiness level before you do so. Her recipe serves 6, mine serves about 3 – one dinner, and the following two days of breakfast!

Sweet Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake

• 1 1/2 lbs. cherry tomatoes
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme, rosemary and bay
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 4 sausages (the original recipe specifies Cumberland sausages, but I couldn’t locate any. I went with turkey sausage – should have tried something a little spicier)
• extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Place the tomates, herbs, garlic and sausages in a roasting pan.

Drizzle well with the vinegar and the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place into the oven for thirty minutes

At the thirty minute mark, take the tray out and turn the sausages over, basting a little with the sauce that’s pooling underneath.  Return to the over for another 15-30 minuites.

Serve over crusty bread.  I heated some ciabatta in the oven for about 5 minutes.

Well, what are you waiting for? Off to the store with you!

Tags: sausage, tomato