Cooking Lesson #228: Sheet-Pan Sausage & Brussels Sprouts Dinner

… from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? I’m in the mood for something different… how ‘bout some Sheet Pan Cooking?! 
 
During the pandemic, sheet pan cooking has taken the U.S. by storm. It’s a distant cousin to the one-pot dinner. Sheet-pan cooking uses shallow, sturdy, rimmed baking pans made of aluminum or steel. Recipes usually involve proteins, starches, and vegetables all cooked together at the same temperature and for the same amount of time. It is a cooking method that is affordable, approachable and offers abundance (with plenty for seconds, too). Just a quick drizzle of oil and layer everything onto one pan. Within 30-45 minutes dinner will be table ready.
 
So close your eyes and visualize the following, picture-perfect bronze, wrinkly sausages, chicken thighs or pork medallions, bursted cherry tomatoes, tendrils of pencil asparagus, maybe some dollops of a green-sauce—pesto or green chile or chermoula? Add a scattering of roasted carrots, some purple onions and halved miniature potatoes all on the same aluminum foil wrapped sheet pan. If you have a small kitchen, don’t have a dishwasher and don’t want to spend a lot of time doing dishes, sheet pan cooking is for you.
 
For starters get a heavy duty, professional quality sheet pan either anodized (dark) or au natural (shiny). Wrap your sheet pan in heavy duty aluminum foil. Preheat an oven so it is up to temperature before putting the sheet pan in the oven. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir things around every 10 minutes or so.
 
While the sausages, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts are roasting away, we whisk together some honey and Dijon mustard. The fun thing about that is you can mess with it: add mustard seed for spice, a little more honey if you like it sweet, or extra Dijon if you want more of that hot, vinegary bite. However you do it, the tangy-sweet condiment will taste fantastic swirled through all the lightly charred vegetables and sausages.
 
A note about nuts: In the ingredients, you’ll see that chopped nuts are an optional add. Don’t skip them: We loved running into them in the dish. In a bite of meaty sausage, sweet, tender Brussels sprouts, and creamy potato, their dry, nutty crunch makes it perfect.
 
Sheet-Pan Sausage & Brussels Sprouts Dinner is designed to come together quickly, to cook itself and to be enjoyed in the calm peace of the dining room with a glass of wine.
 
Prep time:  10 to 15 minutes
Cook time:  30 to 45 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
1-pound fresh sausage (sweet or hot Italian or bratwurst)
1-pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed of the outer leaves and halved length-wise
1-pound small potatoes, halved (baby Yukon gold, red potatoes or a combination of both)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon grainy-style mustard
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, almonds, pecans or cashews
 
Directions

1. Heat an oven to 450ºF and place a foil-lined sheet pan on the bottom rack in the oven allowing the pan to heat up.
2. Using a fork, poke the sausages in a few places on all  sides, making sure not to cut all the way through.
3. Transfer them to a large bowl with the Brussels sprouts, potatoes and olive oil and stir until well coated. If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a little more oil.
4. Season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
5. Spread the mixture in an even layer on the hot baking sheet and arrange the vegetables cut-sides down. Roast for 15 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts and potatoes start to soften. The sausages will not be cooked through at this time.
6. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the honey and mustards.
7. Drizzle the honey-mustard mixture over the sausages and vegetables and toss or shake to coat. Flip the sausages.
8. Sprinkle the sausages and vegetables with the chopped nuts.
9. Roast until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are golden brown and tender… about another 15 minutes or so.
   
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

ChefSecret:  This should not be considered a hard-and-fast recipe.  Do not hesitate to change out the vegetables or sausages.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I really wish I had a dog right now, but then I remembered that old adage, a dog is for life, not just for a global pandemic.”
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                                                 ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

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