Roast Sausage with Fennel and Orange

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Brighten up the last few days of winter with an easy sheet pan supper sure to get you through this final bit of the season with a smile.  This Roast Sausage and Fennel with Orange is the answer to what to fix for dinner right now.  The bright colors and sunny flavors are just what you need to cheer you on.  Slice the fennel and onion, drizzle with some olive oil, and top with your sausages.  Transfer to the oven and it’s hands off for the next 25-30 minutes, leaving you free to do something else, like apply some Marie Kondo magic to that junk drawer, or help a kid with homework.

The high temperature lets you roast your sausages and gives them the same nice, brown color you would normally get from browning in a pan, but be sure to peek in from time to time to be sure it isn’t browning too much.  Rotate your sheet pan, or remove and plate the veggies while the sausages continue cooking if this is the case.  Or, if you feel your sausages aren’t browning enough, a brief stint under the broiler will help.  If you want to use fully cooked sausages, start with just the veggies, roasting for about 10 minutes before adding the sausages, so they will still brown but not overcook. Leftovers, if you have any, reheat well, though the oranges will lose a little of their luster on the second round.  You can get around this by reheating your sausages and veggies and adding fresh orange segments afterwards.

Don’t forget to line that baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil so you have zero clean-up.  What could be easier than that?

Roast Sausage and Fennel with Orange

• 2 medium fennel bulbs, fronds reserved, bulbs halved through root end, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 small red onion, halved through root end, thinly sliced
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
• Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
• 6 sweet Italian sausages (about 1 1/2 lb. total)
• 1 medium navel orange
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Flaky sea salt

Position a rack in the highest third of the oven and preheat to 425º F.   Combine fennel bulbs, red onion and rosemary sprigs on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with 3 Tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.  Prick sausages all over with the tip of a paring knife, then arrange sausages on top of vegetables, spacing evenly.  Drizzle sausages with remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Transfer to oven and roast 25-30 minutes, until sausages are browned on top and cooked through and vegetables are tender and deeply browned in spots.

While sausages cook, coarsely chop reserved fennel fronds; set aside.  Cut ends off orange and rest orange upright on a cut side, cutting down around all sides to remove peel and pith.  Hold orange in your hand and cut between membranes to release segments, working over a small bowl to catch juice.  Discard peel and membranes.  Add vinegar to segments and juice and toss to combine.

Remove baking sheet from oven and pour liquid from bowl over all, using a spoon to hold  orange segments back.  Let sausages and fennel cool about 5 minutes before transferring to platter.  Top with additional fresh rosemary sprigs and scatter reserved orange segments among sausages.  Top with fennel fronds and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Drizzle with additional olive oil if desired.

– Bon Appétit, October 2018