Sausage Supper

Sausages should be precooked before adding to the slow cooker or the resulting dish will be greasy and the sausages themselves pale and uninviting. Ready-cooked mini-sausages are used in this tasty all-in-one hotpot. If you're really hungry, serve with baked beans.

Serves 1

1 small onion, chopped, or 30 ml/2 tbsp frozen diced onion
10 ml/2 tsp sun-dried tomato purée (paste)
2.5 ml/½ tsp dried mixed herbs
A dash of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
150 ml/¼ pint/2/3 cup hot (not boiling) beef or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
150 g/5 oz mini new potatoes, quartered
1 carrot, thinly sliced, or 75 g/3 oz frozen sliced carrots
8 cooked mini sausages

1. Put the onion, tomato purée, herbs and Worcestershire sauce, if using, in the ceramic cooking pot. Stir in a little of the stock and blend everything together, then stir in about half of the remaining stock. Cover with the lid and switch on the slow cooker to Low. Leave for 3-4 minutes while measuring and preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. Seasoning between the layers with salt and pepper as you go, scatter the potato quarters over the onion mixture, followed by the carrot slices and finally top with the sausages.
3. Pour the remaining stock over the sausages (if necessary, add a little more so that they are just covered). Cover with the lid and cook for 3-5 hours or until the vegetables are very tender. Serve on a warm plate.

Cook's tips
Instead of Worcestershire sauce, stir 2.5 ml/½ tsp of Dijon or wholegrain mustard into the stock.
Sun-dried tomato purée contains lots of additional seasonings including chillies, garlic, oregano and capers, so it gives extra flavour without the need for lots of individual ingredients.
Instead of bought mini sausages, you could use two or three leftover cooked sausages instead. Cut each in half.

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