Sausage Potatoes au Gratin

Every year, two big batches of Todd’s famous potatoes au gratin makes it way to our Thanksgiving table. It’s one of those dishes that the whole family is religiously (and hopelessly) in love with. All these eaters ask about the potatoes au gratin first, before anyone ever asks about the turkey. Regardless of how much decadent, calorie-laden, decadent goodness hides behind every serving, there’s rarely ever much left over. It’s occasions like these that when it comes to calorie-conversation, we all say, “who cares?”

That’s right, who cares. When the holidays roll around, what’s most important is that were enjoying good food with great people. Now. Let’s do this.

We’re mixing things up a bit this year, but not to the extreme to where there will be mutiny by taking away the precious potatoes au gratin dish. We’re going to make this beloved dish a little extra special and savory by adding sausage. Yes, sausage in potatoes au gratin sounds like a great plan and pretty much, a whole meal in itself. Especially delicious when we add in a homemade sausage which is insanely good. Well, maybe add some brussels sprouts and the turkey then Thanksgiving will be complete. Although we keep batting around the idea of having a Thanksgiving week, just so we can try all of the dishes we are craving this time of year.

It’s incredibly rewarding dishes like these ring in the holidays in the most delicious way possible. Comforting foods, especially those baked with love in the oven, are what makes our cold days warmer and our souls a little more satisfied.

If you’re already a fan of potatoes au gratin and sausage is already a star on your favorites-list, then definitely try these potatoes. And if you’re a purist and don’t like anything interfering with your creamy au gratin? Then make it without the sausage and use the original au gratin recipe we posted a few years ago. Either way, you’ll be pleased to know that what ever you cook, there’s something for everyone. Even the vegetarians!

And for many of you who often ask about the difference between a potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes? There’s many varying answers, but traditionally potatoes au gratin (or gratin dauphinoise ) is a French dish where the potatoes are cooked in cream or creme fraiche. No Cheese. Though there are many variations of potatoes au gratin using cheese, most will call potatoes cooked in cheese as scalloped potatoes. Either way, how ever you cook your potatoes, make it your own and share it with those you love.

Eat more potatoes,

diane

Yield: Serves 6

Total Time: 2 hours

This is an adaptation from our classic potatoes au gratin which we previously had posted and is also in our cookbook, Bountiful. It is an all-time favorite for our families and friends, especially in the cooler months. All ingredients are approximations. Learn to cook this recipe by feel and it becomes very easy to make smaller or larger dishes to suit the occasion.

1 1/2 pounds (680g) uncooked sausage1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil4 pounds (1.8kg) Yukon or Russet Potatoes2 Garlic Cloves1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher or Sea Salt, or to taste2 teaspoons fresh cracked coarse Black Pepper3/4 teaspoon freshly grated Nutmegabout 3 cups (700ml) Heavy Cream

Preheat oven to 350°F

Remove the sausage from the casings and break into small chunks.Heat a large skillet over medium high and then add the olive oil. Stir in the sausage and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until browned.Crack the garlic cloves break them up slightly then rub the insides of a 9"x11" baking dish. Discard the bigger chunks of garlic and set aside the baking dish.Peel and slice the potatoes about 1/8" thick. Put the sliced potatoes into a large bowl.Season the potatoes with sea salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Toss the slices to coat evenly.  Slap a potato slice against your tongue to test for seasoning.  It should be noticeably seasoned but not overpoweringly so.Layer the potatoes and sausage into the prepped baking dish, pressing down on the top so everything is fairly level.  Pour the cream over potatoes just to the point where you can press down on the top layer and the top potato slices disappear under the cream.   Give a couple presses down on the potatoes and then taste cream for seasoning.  You should just marginally taste the salt.  Add a sprinkle more if needed.Put in the oven and bake for a total of about 1 1/2 hours (larger batches will take longer). Every 20 minutes or so, open the oven and with the back of a large spoon, break the crust the cream is starting to form and turn over any of the top sausage pieces that may be beginning to brown. (On the final "crust breaking" the consistency of the cream should noticeably thicker and have absorbed into the potatoes a decent amount). For the final 20-30 minutes, leave everything untouched to form a golden top. Cream should be nearly all broke down and absorbed with just a bit of creamy, buttery-ness between the potato slices.Remove from oven allow to cool a bit before serving.  It will retain an intense heat for at least 10-15 minutes.

Prep Tips:
Lay down newspaper on counter tops and peel potatoes over the newspaper. When all done, roll up and compost or throw away; instant clean counters!

If you are doing a large batch, put the peeled potatoes in a bowl of water to keep them from browning.

This is also a great time to hone knife skills. However for another quick and easy method, slice with a mandolin or food processor slicing blade. Personally I prefer slicing by hand - it's a bit meditative with the added risk playing with a sharp knife, but some days the food processor or mandolin save precious prep time.

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Sausage Rolls

Sausage Rolls pictures (1 of 5)

I have wanted to make sausage rolls for the longest time. I spotted the sausage rolls recipe on both Food-4Tots and also Christine’s Recipes and added it to my to-bake list…finally, I found the time to bake these goodies.

This sausage roll is probably more Asian than western baking. If I am not mistaken, it’s probably a Cantonese creation. If you go to dim sum restaurants or Chinese bakery shops, you will most likely find them, though I have also seen them at Japanese bakery shops. In any case, sausage rolls are quite a treat as I love sausages.

I followed the recipe on Food-4Tots but for the wrapping, I chose the easier method on Christine’s Recipe (please click on the link to see the step-by-step picture guide). The end result was these cute and gorgeous looking sausage rolls that I just couldn’t stop eating.

(Click Page 2 for the Sausage Rolls Recipe)

Pages: 1 2

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Movies at Dinner: Spaghetti Squash with Sausage

Films and Food. Oh, when they are good, they are sooooo good.  Usually it is separately, however there are instances when together they’ve grown into bosom buddies in our mysterious minds.

“Goddamn, that’s a pretty fu**ing good milkshake.”
“Told ya.”
“I don’t know if it’s worth five dollars, but it’s pretty fu**ing good”

I can’t order a milkshake, especially not a $5 shake without thinking of Pulp Fiction. Hell, I can’t even order a high-$$$ everyday eatable without thinking of Pulp Fiction. The $10 burger? $16 pho? They all get the Vincent Vega skepticism.

This film and food connection extends way past burgers, shakes, and the cult dialog of Pulp Fiction. Sometimes it is the music getting swallowed up into noir. Mambo Italiano and Big Night, anyone? Or take Paolo Conte’s “Via con me” and the kitchen scenes of Mostly Martha (Though, don’t get me started on the “American” remake.  Not happy.)

Other times it will be a certain dish or ingredient which sparks the TCM flashback. Spice and chocolate - Chocolat. Any mention of bear meat - A Chef in Love. (Weird, I know but if you’ve seen the movie you’ll know what I’m talking about.) Nearly all of our Top 10 Food Films will inspire some sort of culinary trigger.

Sometimes they will even inspire or influence our cooking or techniques. I first tackled the challenge of Puff Pastry due to Babette’s Feast. And an obscure scene from Dinner Rush forever changed how I cook sausage.

One of the boys in the kitchen whips up a quick meal of sausage and pasta for the boss (Danny Aiello). To cook the sausage, he took an uncooked sausage, pulled pinches of sausage out of the casing, dropped the perfect little balls into the pan and quickly sauteed them up.

So simple. So brilliant. Something I had never seen or read about. We didn’t grow up in an Italian cooking household so my ways going about Italian cooking stemmed from books. And now, the movies have become my teacher too.

In a salute to the great food movies, here’s a simple little dish using this movie inspired cooking technique… Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Sausage.

We love spaghetti squash. It is a perfect winter squash, giving up a great texture when cooked right. Try not to cook it until it gets mushy.  It should still have a little bite like… spaghetti. Mangia!

-Todd

P.S. Would love to hear your food and film connections!  Whether it is just your favorite food movies or scenes (am dying to see Tampopo – curse you Netflix for not having it!), foods you associate with a movie, or anything else related. Hit us with your Fave Fives.

roast in oven until squash separate easily

sautee shallots and garlic till lightly golden

cook pinched sausage till golden brown

add squash, cook till heated, toss with parmesan cheese & herbs. Enjoy!

Dive in. Soooo good.

 Print This Recipe
Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Sausage Recipe
There are lots of recipes quickly microwaving spaghetti squash to cook it, but I just like the taste and texture of roasting the squash better. It brings out the aromas and fills the kitchen. If pressed for time to make dinner, since the squash is warmed in the pan with the sausage at the end, one could always roast the spaghetti squash ahead of time and then quickly heat it with the sausage at dinner time. Try not to over cook the squash until it becomes overly soft.  It should still have a bit of a bite to the texture. Serves 3-4. 1 Spaghetti Squash (@3lbs or 1365g)2 T (30ml) Olive Oil (divided in two parts)5 or 6 medium Shallots, thickly sliced3 cloves Garlic, crushed or finely minced3/4 lb (340g) uncooked Sausage (any kind you prefer)1 c (60g) coarsely grated Parmigiana Reggiano1 T finely chopped Oregano, or other complimentary herb to the sausageSea Salt and fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Preheat Oven to 375°F. Oil a sheet pan with first 1 T of olive oil.

1. Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. (Use the tip of the knife to first pierce and get the cut started. Once you get the first cut started the rest of the squash should slice easily.) Scoop out the seeds and strands, then place cut side down on the prepared sheet pan.

2. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the squash flesh separates easily into strands with a fork. Finish loosening and removing the “spaghetti” from the shells and set aside.

3. Onto a large sheet of butcher paper or similar, pinch and pull small balls of sausage out of the casing, laying them so they stay slightly separate. Continue for all of the sausage.

4. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Heat second 1 T of olive oil in pan, then add shallots and garlic. Cook until soft, stirring every 30 seconds, then add sausage. Cook untouched until bottom side of sausage starts to brown, then stir. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until the sausage is cooked through (@2-3 minutes depending on heat and size of sausage).

5. Add spaghetti squash strands to the sausage and continue cooking until heated (usually less than a minute.)

6. Remove from heat. Toss in Parmigiana Reggiano and oregano.  Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper (remember the cheese will have a bit of “saltiness” to it already.) Serve immediately.

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