So I’ve decided to start something new as a homage to the country I call home. British Friday. What do you think? Aren’t you curious at all to learn more about what people actually eat here? Forget Fish’n Chips, there is so much more to British food and I want to share it with you. I will be posting a gem of a British recipe once a month or so. It won’t be just any recipe, it will be a tried and true recipe that is a staple in our house. I am starting with a famous Sausage and Mash, a meal every British family eats at least once a week. It’s delicious, filling, inexpensive and the best thing of all is true comfort food!
We usually just fry up sausages, they are absolutely delicious in this country, and make some mashed potatoes and gravy but last night Brad was on a cooking duty and he was showing off. Instead of just cooking sausages the usual way he decided to turn them into Catherine Wheels, something he saw in one of Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks. The sausages were twisted into a wheel, studded with garlic and sage and then skewered on a metal skewer. Was it worth the effort? The verdict is a passionate “Yes”. Not only did they look gloriously rustic and manly but they were also infinitely more flavourful and tasted leaner since most of the fat got drained through baking instead of frying.
He also made cider onion gravy to douse the sausage with and creamy horseradish mash and a brussel sprout hash with bacon and honey. As I mentioned above, the man wasn’t holding back. I will surely share these recipes at some point but today let’s get back to the star of the show-the Catherine Wheel. So easy and so impressive you can serve it for a dinner party. Maybe.
Ingredients
- 8- sausages
- 2-3 cloves- garlic
- 6-7- sage leaves
- olive oil
For the gravy
- 3- medium red onions sliced
- 2 tbsp- olive oil
- 3 tbsp- dry cider
- 2- chicken gravy pots I used Knorr or chicken stock pots+ 1 tbsp flour for thickening
- 2 cups- water
- 1 tbsp-butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F/200C.
- Peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves.
- Cut the sausage links into two strings of four sausages each.
- Allow each string to unravel so there is no division between the sausages, and massage them with your hands to even out the distribution of the meat.
- Roll each string into a spiral shape onto a baking sheet with raised edges, inserting garlic slices and sage leaves at intervals inside the Catherine wheels. Insert a skewer through each Catherine wheel to hold the shape when cooking.
- Cook on a middle rack for 20 min or until crispy on top. With 5-10 min remaining remove from the oven and sprinkle with olive oil and any remaining sage leaves, then put back in the oven for additional 5 minutes.
- While sausages are cooking make onion gravy.
- Cook sliced onions in olive oil over low heat until tender for 10-15 minutes, then turn the heat up and brown them for 2-3 minutes.
- Add cider and cook onions until it evaporates.
- Add chicken gravy pots and water, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and cook the gravy until desired consistency. (If you are using chicken stock pots add flour to thicken the gravy).
- When the gravy is done stir in a tablespoon of butter.
- Serve hot with Catherine wheel sausage.
Jeffrey D. Sellegren says
January 14, 2018 at 8:02 pmI have noticed, as I have been perusing through your recipes, that you often don’t get specific about the type of sausage you use in many of your recipes. One is the sausage meat balls and another is this one. As you know, sausages vary widely from one country to the next. There are many regional sausages in the US a well. A hint would be helpful as Mexican Chorizo would change the nature of this dish considerably for instance.
vikalinka says
January 14, 2018 at 8:51 pmHi Jeffrey, I promise you that for this recipe it won’t make a difference what sausage you use as long as you like it since this recipe is purely showing a particular method of cooking a sausage, but if you want a true British experience try Cumberland sausage. I also assume my reader will know that Mexican Chorizo would not be presented as a national British dish in my British Friday section. If chorizo sausage or any other sausage were an integral part of a certain recipe I would specify it like I did here https://vikalinka.com/2013/12/06/chorizo-sausage-rolls/, here https://vikalinka.com/2012/12/11/herb-chorizo-and-fig-stuffing/, or here https://vikalinka.com/2014/05/31/smoked-gouda-and-chorizo-pizza/ and many other recipes. I am assuming the sausage meatballs you are referring to is my pumpkin pasta with sausage meatballs, which is an Italian -inspired recipe and that dictates the type of sausage. I don’t live in the US and I don’t know what types are sold there, therefore I stay away from suggesting particular types of product as they might not be readily available in other parts of the world. I hope this helps. Best, Julia
Deborah Weston says
August 31, 2014 at 5:23 amAm a big sausage fan too, but they have to be good quality preferably from the butcher. My butchers actually sell Catherine Wheel sausages. Definitely going to try this as the cooler nights are drawing in.
Ps – love your blog.
vikalinka says
August 31, 2014 at 11:28 amThank you, Deborah! You are absolutely right, sausages quality is everything in this recipe!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
August 30, 2014 at 12:45 pmI am an unapologetic sausage lover and this is just the way I love them! I love the idea of making them in to a wheel and skewering them. And the garlic is a great touch 🙂 Delicious!
vikalinka says
September 1, 2014 at 11:14 amThank you, Jennifer. Good quality sausage is priceless! Such an easy and quick meal!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
August 29, 2014 at 3:50 pmOh I love the idea of British Friday! These flavors make me long for a cozy evening by the fire – love the garlic and sage!
vikalinka says
September 1, 2014 at 11:12 amSo excited to share lovely British dishes, there are some unknown gems that deserve to be known! 🙂