I was in my 20s when I tried Italian sausage for the first time. Up to that point, the only sausage I’d really had was the link type we had in red beans and rice or the bulk breakfast type sausage in a biscuit or breakfast casserole.
I was at the home of my friends Greer and Jamie, and they served spaghetti topped with plain marinara and Italian sausage.
I could scarcely believe that something that delicious had been sitting in my grocery store the whole time and I’d not known about it.
Actually, it took me three trips to two different grocery stores – plus a phone call to Greer – before I found it. I can’t remember now whether that’s because it was less common in grocery stores way back then or because I was just looking in the wrong places. Possibly both.
But lucky for me, when I did finally find it, I saw that the Italian sausage was sold right next to something called bratwurst. It looked an awful lot like Italian sausage, so it didn’t take long before I wanted to try it.
Soon after, another friend introduced me to the combination of bratwurst and cabbage. But the cooking directions were kind of complicated and required quite a bit of hands-on time.
I don’t know how well you know me, but you might already be aware that I am not a big fan of hands-on time when it comes to cooking.
I’m willing to plan ahead. I’m willing to make things from scratch.
But a sauce that I have to “stir constantly” or a dish that I have to monitor closely is probably going to end up scorched, lumpy or otherwise inedible.
That’s just who I am as a person.
So, despite the fact that I loved bratwurst and cabbage, I made it only occasionally. I just wasn’t willing to spend as much time as it required for an ordinary weeknight dinner.
Fast forward a few decades, and you’d find me never making it at all. Zack’s not terribly fond of sausage, so I just replaced bratwurst with meals we can all enjoy.
But then one day it occurred to me that I could make bratwurst, cabbage and potato chunks almost completely hands-free and in one pan.
Not only that, but I could add a few boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the mix and have a meal the entire family would relish.
Ahh, sheet pan meals. You never steer me wrong.
I realize this meal is more like a strategy than a recipe. But if you’ve been cooking for as long as I have, sometimes what you need is a strategy. Sometimes a strategy is actually what saves your sanity.
SHEET PAN BRATS AND CABBAGE
Ingredients
1-2 packages bratwurst
Optional: 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs for every person who doesn’t like bratwurst
1/2 head cabbage
Red or gold potatoes (about 2 small or 1 medium per person), into cubes of approximately 1 inch
1/4 cup neutral cooking oil (I use corn oil)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: Seasonings as desired
Directions
■ Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Find the largest rimmed baking sheet in your kitchen. (If you do not have a large rimmed pan, I recommend the Nordicware Big Sheet Pan. It is larger than a half-sheet pan but will fit in a standard home oven.) Line the pan with a piece of wide foil. (I prefer the nonstick type that is sometimes labeled grilling foil.)
■ Cut the core out of the half head of cabbage. Chop the half cabbage head in half again and then slice it into 1-inch slices (slices will fall apart… that’s fine). Wash shredded cabbage and shake water off. Wash potatoes. Peel potatoes if desired and chop into roughly one-inch chunks. Place potatoes, bratwurst and cabbage in separate areas of the lined sheet pan. Add seasoned chicken thighs if using.
■ Drizzle oil over the potatoes and cabbage. (There is no need to season or oil the bratwurst.) Add salt and pepper to potatoes and cabbage. Add other seasonings as desired. (I like onion powder, garlic powder and dill on the potatoes; I usually just use salt and pepper on the cabbage.) Toss to coat, trying to keep each vegetable in its area as you do so. Place sheet pan into oven. Check potatoes for fork tenderness after about 30 minutes. The entire pan should be finished cooking in 30-40 minutes.
Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].
Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
