Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage is the kind of quickie, low-effort meal that’s really a “back pocket” recipe. If you’re not familiar with the term back pocket, it’s a recipe that’s easy enough to memorize that you can “pull off” at pretty much a moment’s notice, especially if it can be riffed on with what’s in the fridge and/or freezer or pantry.
Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage – going in to the oven.
And if that recipe is as Ah-Maz-Ing as the one for Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage, it’s one that’s likely to go on rotation at my house!
About Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage:
I usually stay away from most recipes that seem gimmicky, like this one where the sausage is cut Hasselback style (like the famous Hasselback potatoes, the sausage is cut partway down but not all the way so it stays together) but in this case, I think it’s the way to go.
Because of the cuts, the sweet/tart glaze coats the sausage on top, forming that almost crispy, chewy layer rather than just sliding down the sausage. Inevitably some drips down into the sausage and flavors them from the inside out.
And of course, you can never go wrong with sausage (you can use your fave smoked sausage) along with the mix of bell peppers and onions!
Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage
Making Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage:
This recipe is a cook as you go, rather than prep ahead. The onions and peppers get a head start and as they cook away, there’s plenty of time to mix up the glaze and cut the sausage.
To make things easy, lay something thin (that won’t be ruined by your knife – or even worse, ruin your knife) down next to the sausage. Use cheap wooden chopsticks or maybe skewers of some kind. Then when you cut the sausage your knife will be stopped short of cutting through.
Make it Your Own:
This is another recipe I stole and riffed off from the New York Times cooking section. You can sign up for their free emails or get a subscription for about five bucks a month. It’s worth it for me to sign up because I am able to save thousands of recipes I’ll never make (I’d be long dead before I get through my list, lol!), and cooking for me doubles as entertainment!
The original recipe called for Kielbasa, but I love this with plain ol’ smoked sausage and really, there’s no end to what you could use. I’m intrigued to try one of those smoked sausages with jalapeno next time!
As far as the glaze, you can use almost any jam, jelly, or preserves, honey will work, too, along with any kind of mustard you have on hand. The point is to mix the sweet from the preserves with the tangy, vinegary mustard. I like raspberry with Dijon or good German mustard, although the original called for Apricot preserves. If you go there, add a bit of your fave hot sauce to the glaze.
And while the peppers and onions are a classic combo with sausage, you can riff and add any veggies you want. Just be mindful of the cooking times. Potatoes, for instance, might need more time. Cabbage would be a great addition. If you’re a sauerkraut lover, well you might want to try this on a bed of the stuff! Just make sure the foil is turned up so it will contain any juices it gives off.
How to Serve Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage:
- You can’t do wrong with serving this with a good, crusty baguette. Maybe you’d like to scoop yours into rolls and make a sandwich.
- If you go there, try a little sauerkraut, or maybe a little horseradish sauce or more mustard alongside. I have a recipe for a fab Creamy Horseradish Sauce right on my site or you can go with a store-bought, tool
Creamy Horseradish Sauce
How to Store Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage:
Store your Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage with the veggies in the bottom of an airtight container and the sausage on top. It should keep well for three to five days.
This dish will freeze well, but only for a short amount of time, say a month or two, and you’ll need to keep in mind that the peppers may become a bit softer and give up more liquid when it’s reheated.
Saving Money:
I have just a few shopping tips: Look for any Smoked Sausage on sale and use coupons. You can pick it up for a song, so follow the coupon matching site for your store. Smoked Sausage can stay in the fridge for weeks, freezes well, and doesn’t take up a lot of room. Stock up, particularly in the fall when it’s usually at a low.
Normally, the green bells are far less than the colored ones, so if you’re budget-minded, use them. If you’re feeding anyone who’s on the fence about bell peppers, keep in mind the colored bells, while a little pricier, are also a little sweeter, a little less “grassy” tasting. You might have better success in getting them to eat the dish. Watch the sales; bell peppers keep for a week or two in the fridge so if the price is right it pays to pick up a few extra to use in this week’s cooking and next.
I’m gonna go personal here. My Da would have loved this recipe with all its zest and flavor. He turned 91 in March, and if you follow me, you know about the 2 1/2 years I spent caring for my favorite Octogenarians as I called Dad & my Stepmom. They left for assisted living a few years ago, and now Dad has moved on to memory care, and this week hospice is official.
I’m struggling, to say the least, so I’d appreciate prayers and good thoughts! I feel there is so much power in both. I’ve also been searching high and low for a poem I read years ago that gave me some peace. I think was called “When I’m a Child Again.” I can’t find anything on it, and I’m beginning to think I made it up. If any of you know this poem, please chime in. I’d love to read those words again!
Take care all! And remember to live each day to the fullest! I for one plan on going through my second childhood now, when I can enjoy it! 🙂
Mollie
Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage
Sheet Tray Hasselback Smoked Sausage
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 servings 1x
- Category: main dish
- Cuisine: German
Ingredients
- 1 smoked sausage ring
- 1 or 2 bell peppers, sliced about 3/8” thick
- 1 large onion, sliced about 3/8” thick
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons of preserves, jam or jelly
- 2 tablespoons mustard
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with foil.
Slice peppers & onions, salt & pepper to taste (note: sausage will later be placed on top of the vegetables, and will give off salty juices as it cooks so don’t over salt) and place on sheet tray. Place in oven as you prepare the sausage.
Put sausage on a cutting board with chopsticks or skewers on either side to stop knife from slicing all the way through as you cut the sausage into 1/4″ rounds, still attached at the bottom.
Remove vegetables, stir, place sausage on top and return to the oven. Mix together the preserves and mustard (if preserves are cold, they mix better if placed in the microwave for a few seconds) and baste the sausage. Cook for around 20 to 25 minutes more, basting the sausage two or three times, until the vegetables have softened and picked up some color and the sausage is glazed nicely. Stir the vegetables as needed.
Keywords: Bell Peppers, German, Jam Jelly or Preserves, Pork, Sausage, smoked sausage
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