Sweet tomato and sausage bake.

I have approximately fifteen unfinished projects that need my attention.  

I have one hour until my baby wakes up from her nap.

The math doesn't seem to be working in my favor.

But before I go and finish my last half hour of sanding, I wanted to share this delicious recipe with you.  Because I love you.  And it's the holidays.  And it's easy to make.  And I thought you would like it.  And that's all.

Forgive the short introduction, but girlfriends got places to go and people to see, baby.

Sweet tomato and sausage bake
Original recipe from Jamie Oliver

You will need: 
 - 4 pounds of delicious cherry tomatoes, or 4 pounds of heirloom tomatoes quartered (While you can substitute whole canned tomatoes here, you'll miss out on the delicious flavor of fresh ones.  However, do what you gotta do Maynard!)
 - 2 sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary (Probably about 2 teaspoons dried...but fresh makes a huge difference!)
 - 2 bay leaves
 - 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
 - High-quality Italian pork sausages or bratwurst (figure on at least one per person).  The quality of the meat matters in a dish as simple as this, so try and find some delicious fresh sausages from your local butcher.  Wenatchee-ites, you've got to check out Mike's Meat Market.
 - Olive oil
 - High-quality balsamic vinegar
 - Sea salt and pepper
 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup (if your balsamic vinegar is rather...sour)

Step One:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place all the tomatoes into a large baking pan - a single layer of tomatoes works best.  Then, drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (adding the maple syrup if necessary).  Give it a quick toss.  Then, sprinkle on a few good pinches of salt and a few hardy grinds of freshly ground pepper.  Add your herbs and the garlic and mix it all together.

Step Two:  Lay the sausages on top of the tomatoes and bake for half an hour.  Turn the sausages over, and bake for another half an hour or until they are nice and golden.  I ended up leaving mine in for an extra twenty minutes or so, just because.  It's very forgiving.

Step Three:  That's it.  Yum, yum.
If you'd like your tomato sauce to be a wee bit thicker, remove the sausages and pour the tomatoes into a saucepan on the stove, simmering them down until you're happy with the consistency.

OR, you can just eat it straight out of the oven like a champion.

Here's the think about this recipe - you're going to need some serious baguettes for soaking up all that tomato goodness.  My BAGUETTE recipe from last week is perfect with this dish.  And while I assume it would taste delicious atop of mountain of mashed potatoes or rice, I'm happy to sop up my tomato and sausage bake with crusty bread. What can I say? It's my weakness.

This dish is wonderful with a simple side salad.  And bread.  Did I mention the bread?

Pretty easy, huh?  One pan.  One hour.  Hopefully more than one loaf of bread.

I'm kidding.  Not really though.

You know what else goes well with this dish?

White wine.

Just speaking from a purely informational standpoint, I wanted you to know. 

Enjoy!

For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.

Sweet Tomato and Sausage Bake

• 4 pounds cherry tomatoes, or 4 pounds of heirloom tomatoes quartered  ((While you can substitute whole canned tomatoes here, you'll miss out on the delicious flavor of fresh ones.  However, do what you gotta do Maynard!) – 2 sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary (Probably about 2 teaspoons dried…but fresh makes a huge difference!))
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• High-quality Italian pork sausages or bratwurst  ((figure on at least one per person).  The quality of the meat matters in a dish as simple as this, so try and find some delicious fresh sausages from your local butcher.  Wenatchee-ites, you've got to check out Mike's Meat Market.)
• Olive oil
• High-quality balsamic vinegar
•  Sea salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp maple syrup ((if your balsamic vinegar is rather…sour))

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place all the tomatoes into a large baking pan – a single layer of tomatoes works best.  Then, drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (adding the maple syrup if necessary).  Give it a quick toss.  Then, sprinkle on a few good pinches of salt and a few hardy grinds of freshly ground pepper.  Add your herbs and the garlic and mix it all together.

2. Lay the sausages on top of the tomatoes and bake for half an hour.  Turn the sausages over, and bake for another half an hour or until they are nice and golden.  I ended up leaving mine in for an extra twenty minutes or so, just because.  It's very forgiving.

3. That's it.  Yum, yum.If you'd like your tomato sauce to be a wee bit thicker, remove the sausages and pour the tomatoes into a saucepan on the stove, simmering them down until you're happy with the consistency. OR, you can just eat it straight out of the oven like a champion.