Homemade Pork Sausages with Colcannon and Applesauce which is a traditional Halloween-time Irish mashed potato with cabbage, is perfect winter food. I also love to serve this colcannon with Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples.

Ingredients 

FOR THE SAUSAGES:

1 lb fatty ground pork

2 oz fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg, whisked

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

or marjoram

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp olive or sunflower oil

FOR THE COLCANNON:

3 lb floury potatoes, scrubbed

8 tbsp (1 stick) butter

1 lb green cabbage, outer leaves removed

2 tbsp water

1 c hot milk

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

FOR THE APPLESAUCE:

1 large cooking apple (12 oz), peeled, cored and roughly chopped

1 tbsp water

2-4 tbsp (1–2 oz) superfine sugar

Method

For the sausages, mix together all the ingredients except the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. 

Fry a tiny bit of the mixture in a pan with a little olive or sunflower oil to see if the seasoning is good.

Divide the mixture into 12 pieces and shape each one into a sausage. 

Place on a baking sheet or plate and set aside until you want to cook them. (Chilling them for a day in the fridge is fine, or you can freeze them.)

To make the colcannon, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, draining three-quarters of the water after 5–10 minutes and continuing to cook over a low heat. 

Avoid stabbing the potatoes with a knife as this will make them break up. When cooked, drain all the remaining water, peel and mash with 4 tablespoons of the butter while hot. I usually hold the potato on a fork and peel with a knife if it is hot.

Meanwhile, cook the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters, then cut out the core. Slice the cabbage finely across the grain. 

Heat a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of the butter, the water and the sliced cabbage. Toss over a medium heat for 5–7 minutes, until just cooked. 

Add to the potatoes, then add the hot milk and the parsley, keeping some of the milk back in case you do not need it all. 

Season to taste and beat until creamy and smooth, adding more milk if necessary. Serve piping hot with the remaining butter melting in the center. To make the applesauce, place the apple in a small saucepan with the water. 

Put the lid on and cook over a gentle heat (stir every now and then) until the apple has broken down to a mush. Add sugar to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

To cook the sausages, heat a frying pan on a low to medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil and gently fry the sausages for 12–15 minutes, until golden on all sides and cooked on the inside. 

Serve with the colcannon and applesauce.

RACHEL’S HANDY TIP

To make breadcrumbs, just put a slice of slightly stale bread (with or without crusts) in a food processor or blender and whiz.

VARIATIONS

The sausage mixture is also delicious shaped into little balls and used instead of the ground beef for Meatballs with Fresh Tomato Sauce.

SPICY SAUSAGES WITH CILANTRO

Replace the herbs with 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, and add half a deseeded, chopped red chile or a pinch of dried chile flakes and serve with sweet chili sauce.