Sausage and leek casserole with parsley dumplings (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 8 butchers made sausages
• 500 g of leeks
• 1 large red onion
• 600 g of potatoes
• 300 g of carrots
• 35 g of fresh parsley
• Olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• bay leaves
• chicken stock cubes
• garlic
• plain flour
• baking powder and a little milk

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Preparation

• Pre-heat the oven to 170 C. It's important to brown the sausages first in a large frying pan to get some flavour going. Once the sausages are browned all over place in a casserole dish.
• Now to prep the vegetables; finely slice the onions, finely chop the garlic and cut the potatoes, carrots and leeks into roughly the same larger cuts. Add all the vegetables to the same frying pan and get a little colour on them. Again, once browned add to the casserole dish - deglaze the pan with a little stock and also add to the casserole dish.
• Season the mixture well with salt and pepper and add two bay leaves - then pour over 750 ml of hot chicken stock and place in the oven with a lid on for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Grab a large bowl and sift in 9oz of plain flour then add 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and the finely chopped parsley. Make a well in the centre of the dry mix and gradually add some milk until the mixture forms into a dough consistency. This mixture will make around 14 to 16 teaspoon sized dumplings - roll out the dumplings in your hands with a little flour to avoid sticking.
• After the casserole has been in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, take out and turn the oven up to 200 C. Add the dumplings, put back in the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes with the lid on. After 30 minutes remove the lid, turn the oven up to 220C and cook for 10 to 15 minutes so you get some colour on the dumplings that have risen to the top.