No, I don’t mean baking hobbits. I mean a bake inspired by the merry little Halflings. If you know me at all (or in the very least, follow my silly little posts on Instagram), you know that I read Lord of the Rings every year. And every time I read it, I’m tickled anew by Samwise Gamgee’s fixation on procuring a good ale and some hearty fare. I mean, he even whips up some lean rabbit stew out in the middle of a field after growing weary of their monotonous diet of lembas bread. A hobbit after my own heart, that Sam.
So I got to thinking, what would Sam make if he did have the provisions? Probably something a lot like this dish: assorted vegetables and sausage tossed with fresh and dried herbs, a bit of butter, and all roasted until golden brown and fragrant. And seeing as how Frodo and Bilbo’s birthday is later this week (September 22nd!), it seemed as good a time as any to make it.
You can use whatever vegetables you’d like, but I’ve listed my preference below: a mix of carrots, spring onions, corn on the cob, and of course, plenty of po-tay-toes.
Based on this recipe from Kayotic Kitchen
Yields: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
2 carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 russet potato, quartered
3 gold potatoes, quartered
1 bunch spring onions, greens trimmed off
1 ear fresh corn, broken in half
1 lb sausage, chopped into large chunks
balsamic vinegar
3 tbs olive oil
1 tsp assorted dried herbs
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt
black pepper
Preheat oven to 450* F.
In a large glass baking dish, toss the vegetables with the chicken stock, olive oil, and herbs.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Uncover the baking dish, stir the vegetables around, season with salt and pepper, and place the sausages on top. Drizzle balsamic vinegar on everything, and bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the sausages are cooked through. If the vegetables start burning, just cover with foil again.
Serve warm and with a merry tune.
