Slow cooker sausage and bean casserole

As I'm sitting here writing in the evening it is already dark. You can't deny it – autumn is on its way and next month the clocks will be changing. August came and went but although it wasn't a washout it wasn't exactly a heatwave either. I bought a pack of salad potatoes I guess more in hope than anticipation of lazy summer meals. Half of them did get used but the rest were banished to the back of the fridge. I knew of only one way these were going to be used up – get them into the slow cooker.

Salad potatoes are great for one pot slow cooker or casserole meals. Other potatoes cook down to mush but salad potatoes keep their shape. There's minimal preparation to this dish so it's perfect to put together in a hurry and then have the pleasure of it all being ready when you get home for dinner. I've just used carrots but you could add other root vegetables such as parsnips or swede.

Click here for a printable recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 Sausages

1 Onion, chopped

1 400-420g Tin baked beans or mixed beans in tomato sauce

¼ pint (150ml) Vegetable stock

1tbsp (15ml) Tomato purée

2 Carrots, chopped

1tsp (5ml) Henderson's Relish or Worcestershire Sauce

8 Salad potatoes, scraped (I used Charlotte)

1tbsp (15ml) Mixed fresh herbs, chopped (oregano, thyme, sage) or 1tsp (5ml) dried mixed herbs

Method

1. Pre-heat the slow cooker to High.

2. Prepare all the ingredients and add them to the slow cooker.

3. Reduce the temperature to Low and cook for 6-8 hours.

Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Linking up with No Waste Food Challenge with Elizabeth at Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary and this month's guest host Chef Mireille at Chef Mireille's East West Realm.