One Pan Wonder

Generally speaking I think there are two types of people in the world. Those who believe it shouldn't take longer to make your meal than eat it, and those who have no qualms spending hours (and even days when necessary) in the kitchen to concoct a meal than may be eaten in 20 minutes. I definitely fall into the latter category. But having said that, there are some days I'm a lazy cook, which probably explains the ridiculous amount of delivery pizza I order. Even when we have access to an embarrassment of food conveniences these days—prewashed, bagged lettuce or baby carrots, anyone—there are some days when even making a salad seems like a Herculean task. That's insane, I realize, but it's a reality nonetheless. Which is why I dig this dish. 


It has only a handful of ingredients, the assembly is easy, it requires virtually no attention when cooking, and it's honestly incredibly delicious. That's a winner in my book, by all definitions. Truthfully, I made enough to feed 6 people, but 2 of us devoured almost the whole thing. I dreamt of it last night and I woke up this morning wanting to eat the limited leftovers. It was that good. 


It's a dish a girl can make for a guy or a guy can make for a girl or kids could make for parents and everyone will be impressed. It's great for a weeknight dinner or perfect for when you want to literally throw something together for company that makes you look like a cooking star and not break a sweat. And secretly, isn't that what we all want to be? Some domestic god/goddess who can just whip up dishes that make people swoon while we look fabulous, make people laugh and leave people in awe of how we do it all? Definitely keep this one in your back pocket. You can thank me later. 

Dijon Sausage and Broccoli Bake
from In Praise of Leftovers


Ingredients
6-8 fat, uncooked sausages (Italian, bratwurst, etc) [Note: I think pork sausages are a better choice than chicken b/c I think they have a higher fat content which keeps them juicy when roasting]
2 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange)
1 medium sized onion
1 bunch baby broccoli
1/4 olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp coarse dijon mustard
1 Tbsp coarse salt
zest from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. In a large bowl, combine sausages with coarsely sliced peppers and onions, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1.5 Tbsp salt, dijon mustard, and lemon zest and juice. Toss with your hands. 
3. Spread evenly on baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop broccoli (stems and all) and toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 Tbsp salt. 
4. After 10 minutes, remove the sheet from the oven and add the broccoli and roast for an additional 15 minutes, until sausages are bubbling and charred in places. I ended up having to cook for 25 minutes b/c the sausages were really large. 
5. Dump everything into a rimmed serving dish and serve with bread, if you like. Note: I cut the sausages into thirds to make it less daunting when serving. 
Serves: 4-6