Browned sausages with skin-on apple wedges, roast onion, whole sage leaves and cider juices in a roasting dish

Recipe

Sausage and Apple Traybake

Published 09 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026

Browned pork sausages, tender apple wedges and sweet roast onion share a tray of sage-scented cider juices. A late honey-mustard coating gives the sausages a glossy finish without exposing the honey to the full roasting time.

Not kitchen tested by The Black Farmer.
Serves 4
Prep 15 min
Cook 47 min
Total 67 min

Timing: Allow about 67 minutes: 15 minutes preparation with oven preheating alongside it, 47 minutes oven cooking and a separate 5-minute rest. Preparation includes cutting all produce, dividing the oil and cider, mixing the honey-mustard coating and arranging equipment. The two preparation segments explicitly overlap and count once. Cooking uses 20 minutes for the initial roast, the upper end of the 15–20-minute apple stage, 5 minutes for the honey-mustard finish and a separate 2-minute hold after all sausage centres reach 70°C. Turning and probe checks are included within those stages, not additional waits. A slower oven preheat, thicker sausages or extra cooking to reach and maintain the safe endpoint will lengthen the estimate. There is no marination or cooling stage. Mash and greens are not included in these timings.

Ingredients

  • Onion - Each

    Onion

    1 medium, about 150–200g before peeling

    Peel and cut through the root into 8 wedges, keeping a little root attached so the wedges hold together. Basket supplies one onion sold each, not a claimed 500g pack; the approximate weight is a culinary guide, not guaranteed shop weight.

    £2.00

Adds 1 items across 1 products — £2.00 total.

Pantry ingredients such as oil, salt and herbs are not included.

Other Ingredients You'll Need

  • Raw pork sausages — 600g total, chilled and fully defrosted if previously frozen, about 2–3cm thick (Buy by total raw weight, not an assumed sausage count or supplier pack size. Choose ordinary fresh pork sausages, not cocktail sausages, a coiled sausage or precooked sausages. No particular shop pack is linked because its weight information conflicts.)
  • Neutral oil — 2 tbsp: 1 tbsp for the onion, ½ tbsp for the sausages and ½ tbsp for the apples and sage
  • Fine salt and black pepper — to taste
  • Firm eating apples — 2 medium, about 350–400g total before coring (Use Braeburn or another firm eating apple, not a cooking apple. Leave the skin on, core and cut each apple into 8 wedges: 16 wedges total, roughly 1.5–2cm thick at the widest part.)
  • Fresh sage — 6 medium leaves, left whole (Coat with the apples' allocated oil and tuck among the apple wedges rather than leaving dry on top.)
  • Medium-dry cider — 150ml: 100ml with the apples and 50ml for the honey-mustard coating (British alcoholic apple cider, not cider vinegar. This dish is not claimed to be alcohol-free.)
  • Honey — 1 tbsp
  • Wholegrain mustard — 1 tbsp
  • Water — extra splashes as needed (Only to prevent the tray juices catching or to loosen them before serving; do not fill the tin or submerge the sausages.)

Method

Prepare the tray and ingredients

Allow 15 minutes for preparation. Start heating the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan, while you peel and wedge the onion, core and wedge each apple as specified, and measure the oil, cider, honey and mustard. Use a shallow metal roasting tin with an internal base approximately 40 x 30cm and sides 3–5cm deep, plus tongs and a clean probe thermometer. This is larger than a small deep casserole dish: the ingredients must fit in one layer with gaps, not in a heap. Keep the apples and whole sage leaves aside together with their ½ tbsp oil. Mix 50ml of the cider with the honey and wholegrain mustard in a separate bowl; reserve the other 100ml cider. Preparation includes oven preheating; if the oven is not ready, wait until it reaches temperature before roasting and allow that extra time.

Start roasting the sausages and onion

Toss the onion wedges in the tin with 1 tbsp neutral oil and a little salt and black pepper. Coat the raw pork sausages with ½ tbsp oil and arrange among the onion with space between them; do not prick the skins. Roast uncovered in the hot oven for 20 minutes, turning the sausages and onion halfway through, until the sausages have begun to colour and the onion edges are golden. They are not yet assumed safely cooked. Wash hands and utensils after raw-meat contact and keep raw-meat tools separate from cooked food.

Add the apples, sage and cider

Toss the apple wedges and whole sage leaves with the reserved ½ tbsp oil and a little salt and black pepper. Add to the tin around the sausages, with a cut face of each apple wedge against the base where possible; tuck the sage among the apples. Pour the reserved 100ml cider around, not over, the sausages. Roast uncovered for a further 15–20 minutes, turning the sausages and apples gently halfway through. The apples should be tender when pierced but still hold their shape, the onion softened and the sausages browned. If the tin begins to catch before the apples soften, add a small splash of water around the food; do not flood it. Begin checking the centre of the thickest sausages with a clean probe at the earlier end of this stage; avoid touching the hot tin with the probe tip.

Add the honey-mustard finish

Spoon the prepared 50ml cider, honey and mustard mixture over the sausages and gently through the tray juices. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes, until the coating is glossy, not blackened. The juices should remain spoonable: this is not a thick syrup. Probe the centre of each sausage, particularly the thickest ones, cleaning the probe thoroughly between sausages and after each use. If any centre has not reached 70°C, continue cooking before starting the safety hold; shield browned tops loosely with foil if needed. Lift tender apple wedges onto a clean warm plate if extra cooking would break them up. The clock is a guide, not proof of doneness.

Complete the safety hold

Once all sausage centres have reached 70°C, continue oven cooking for a further 2 minutes, keeping every centre at or above 70°C throughout. Check again with the clean probe; cook longer if necessary to complete that temperature-and-time endpoint. Follow any longer safety instructions on the actual sausage packaging. This hold is cooking time, not part of the later rest. Use clean serving utensils once the sausages are fully cooked.

Rest and serve

Take the tin out of the oven and rest the safely cooked traybake for 5 minutes. Return any apples set aside to the hot juices during this rest, without further cooking. Taste the juices and adjust the salt and black pepper; loosen with a small splash of water if they are too concentrated. Divide the sausages, apples, onion and sage evenly between four plates and spoon over the cider juices. Serve with the suggested mash and greens alongside.

Serving Suggestion

Serve with buttery mashed potatoes and Garlic Butter Kale, dividing the sausages, apple wedges and tray juices evenly between four plates. These are four moderate main-course portions with accompaniments. The mash and kale ingredients and cooking times are additional to this recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many sausages do I need?

Use 600g total raw pork sausages about 2–3cm thick. Counts and pack weights vary, so buy by weight rather than assuming a particular number or treating a shop option as a confirmed pack weight. This gives four moderate servings with mash and greens; the recipe does not include a sausage pack in the basket.

How do I check that the sausages are safely cooked?

Use a clean probe in the centre of each sausage, cleaning it thoroughly between sausages and after each use. Reach 70°C, then keep every centre at or above 70°C for 2 minutes while continuing to cook. The FSA requires sausages to be cooked all the way through; browned skins alone do not establish this. The separate 5-minute rest does not replace the cooking hold. Allow longer than the stated roasting estimate if needed.

How do I stop the apples falling apart?

Use firm eating apples such as Braeburn, keep their skins on and cut each into 8 chunky wedges. They enter after the sausages and onion have started roasting, so they receive a shorter cook. Turn gently and remove tender wedges to a clean plate if the sausages need extra time.

Why is the tray larger, and when do I add the honey?

A shallow 40 x 30cm metal tin gives the sausages, onion and apples room to roast in one layer. A crowded deep dish traps steam and produces paler sausages and wetter juices. Add the honey with the mustard and last 50ml cider only near the end; protect browned tops if the sausage safety checks require longer cooking.

Is cider vinegar a substitute for the cider?

No. Use medium-dry British apple cider, which supplies the liquid and flavour. The same volume of cider vinegar would be far too acidic. Alcohol is used here, and roasting does not justify describing the finished dish as alcohol-free.