All the Right Notes

Oct 8, 2020

By Fran Hill

I am tired. Exhausted. Wiped out.

It isn’t always this way. Some days, I start out strong and hit my to-do list hard. I check things off and accomplish much before eventually hitting a wall. Other days, I simply wake up tired.

Unfortunately, we always have to eat. It doesn’t matter if I am tired or not. Dinner always needs to be served. Thank goodness for sheet pan dinners. Tossing some vegetables and a protein into the oven and pulling out a full meal is a lifesaver.

Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Kale is a comfort food meal that hits all the right notes. The heartiness of potatoes and onions meets flavorful sausage and dances with a bright dressing on the kale.

I always feel better when I can put a great meal on the table, and it is an absolute bonus when it is as easy as this.

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Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Kale is a simple one-sheet dinner that satisfies at the end of a long day.

Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Kale

 

1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise OR small new potatoes, halved

1 medium yellow onion, wedged into eight pieces

2-4 cloves of garlic, sliced

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 ring bologna or sausage

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves torn into large pieces

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss potatoes, onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Meanwhile, on a cutting board, make slices into the ring bologna or sausage at 1/4-inch intervals leaving the bottom intact. DO NOT cut clear through the sausage. Add the sausage to the roasting pan, nestling it among the potatoes. Roast an additional 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, mustard, honey, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Toss kale in dressing, using your hands to massage dressing evenly into leaves.

Scatter dressed leaves in an even layer over sausage and potatoes. (Can reserve any dressing in the bottom of the bowl for drizzling when meal is plated.) Roast, tossing kale halfway through, until tender and charred in places, 3–5 minutes. (Serves 4.)

 

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.