Roasted Cinnamon Sausage Recipes

ROASTED SAUSAGE AND VEGETABLES SHEET PAN DINNER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Cook sausage in the hot oil until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
• Place potatoes, onion, bell peppers, zucchini, and oregano in a large bowl. Drizzle generously with remaining 5 tablespoons oil and season well with salt and pepper. Mix well. Place browned sausages and vegetable mixture on a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, uncovered.
• Bake in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and browned, about 50 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper.

ROASTED CINNAMON SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Invert a baking sheet and cover the bottom with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Put the paste in a bowl and sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon. Mix vigorously with a rubber spatula to distribute the dark specks of cinnamon evenly.
• Transfer the paste to the prepared baking sheet. Use the rubber spatula to spread the paste into a 1-inch-thick rectangle (to mimic the bamboo) or disk. Wet the palm of your hand with water and rub it in a circular motion to smooth the top. Wet your fingers and smooth the sides. To prevent the paste from puffing up too much and cooking unevenly, use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes in it, spacing them about 1 inch apart and making sure to touch bottom.
• Bake the paste for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is dry and light brown and a skewer or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. During baking, a puffy, shiny skin forms. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. As the sausage cools, the skin deflates, crinkles, and darkens.
• To serve, cut the sausage into 3 long sections and then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Store left over sausage in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

CINNAMON ROASTED NUTS

Steps:

• If your nuts are salted, rinse them well, pat dry and place on a cookie sheet in a single layer in a warm (200F) oven. Turn oven OFF and leave to dry overnight. They must be totally dry before proceeding with the recipe. Otherwise, you'll have rubbery nuts.
• Whisk together water, sugar, vanilla and spices in a nonstick dutch oven.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. It will form a syrup.
• Cook syrup until it spins a thread from end of spoon when spoon is lifted (about 6 - 7 minutes).
• Add the nuts. Stir to coat nuts with syrup. The nuts will clump together in a mass.
• Stir constantly until syrup evaporates and sugar crystallizes on the nut, about 10 minutes. Do not turn up the heat to try to speed it up - you'll just burn it. Keep stirring, they will begin to dry out and will separate.
• Pour out onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. Allow to cool completely. Store in zip top freezer bag.
• To clean the pan: Allow the pan to cool, then add cold water and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer 10 minutes.

RICH AND CRISP SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Fill the steamer pan halfway with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Meanwhile, put the paste, fatback, and pepper in a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix well, making sure the pork fat is evenly distributed. Deposit all the paste in the center of the banana leaf and use the spatula to spread it into a disk 6 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Wet your palm with water and rub it in a circular motion to smooth the top. Wet your fingers and smooth the sides.
• Lift up the leaf, place it in the steamer tray, and place the tray in the steamer. Cover and steam for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn off the heat and uncover. When the steam has dissipated, transfer the sausage on the leaf to a rack and let cool completely. Fresh from the steamer, the sausage will be white and slightly inflated. As it cools, it returns to its original size and the outside turns pale yellow. (The steamed sausage may be well wrapped and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Return it to room temperature before proceeding.)
• You may deep-fry or bake the sausage for the final cooking. Traditionally it is deep-fried, which yields great color, while baking, of course, is easier. Cut the sausage into 3 fairly long pieces that will yield nice slices when cut. To deep-fry, pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a wok or Dutch oven and heat to 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. (If you don't have a thermometer, stand a dry bamboo chopstick in the oil; if small bubbles immediately gather on the surface around the chopstick, the oil is ready.) Add the sausage pieces and fry, turning with tongs for even coloring, for about 4 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain, blot with more towels, and let cool for 1 to 2 minutes. To bake, place the 3 sausage pieces in a toaster oven set to the highest heat (broil) and cook, for about 4 minutes on each side, or until golden and crisp. The pieces will hiss and pop, so monitor closely to prevent charring. The color isn't as even with baking as it is with deep-frying and the sausage takes longer to cook, but there is typically less hassle for the cook. Remove from the toaster oven, briefly blot with paper towels, and let cool for 1 to 2 minutes.
• To serve, slice into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and serve piping hot.