Recipe of the week: sausage, lentil and apple bake by Rosie Reynolds

This is a great all-year-round dish, says Rosie Reynolds: the apples and cider make it beautiful and warming for autumn and winter, but it’s bright enough for spring and summer – when it’s best served with a hearty green salad containing plenty of fennel and more apple. Even if you are only cooking for one or two people, I urge you to make this, as the leftovers are even better.

Ingredients: serves four

• 2 small onions, cut into wedges through the root
• ½ tsp chilli (hot pepper) flakes
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for rubbing
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 good-quality sausages (pork or chicken work well)
• 1 stock cube in 200ml boiling water
• 200ml cider or apple juice
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 apple, cored and sliced
• 250g pouch ready-to-eat Puy lentils
• 1-2 tsp cider vinegar, to taste
• handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)

Method

• The Shortcuts: I use a pouch of ready-to-eat lentils, as these are a lifesaver for hearty meals like this when you just don’t have the time or inclination to cook dried lentils. Adding a splash of cider vinegar to apple recipes really brings out their delicious fruity flavour.
• Preheat the oven to 220°C fan (425°F/gas 7).
• Add the onion wedges and chilli flakes to a 30cm x 20cm x 5cm baking tray (pan), drizzle over the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Sit the sausages on top, rubbing each one with a little olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes until golden on top.
• Meanwhile, in a measuring jug, dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water. Add the cider and both of the mustards and stir together to combine.
• Remove the sausage and onion tray from the oven, turn the sausages over and prick with a fork, then return them to their original position (golden-side up). Pour in the stock and cider mixture, add the sliced apple and lentils, give it a gentle stir to combine and cook for a further 25 minutes.
• Taste for seasoning and add a little cider vinegar to brighten and bring out the apple flavour. Scatter with chopped parsley before serving, if you like.

Recipe from The Shortcut Cook All in One: One-Dish Recipes and Ingenious Hacks to Make Faster and Tastier Food by Rosie Reynolds, published by Hardie Grant at £16.99. Photography by Clare Winfield. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £13.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.

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