The best sausage casserole recipe in the world

•12 chipolata sausages
•2 tbsp olive oil
•1 onion, diced
•2 carrots, small dice
•1tsp hot smoked paprika
•400g tin of cherry tomatoes
•250ml chicken stock (made with half a stock cube)
•2 tins of butter beans (drained and rinsed)

For the bread crumb topping
•2 sprigs of rosemary
•50g butter
•100g breadcrumbs
•1 clove of garlic, crushed

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Fry the sausages in a large pan for 5 minutes on each side. Don’t agitate them—just flip each one once, confidently, so that both sides have a chance to take on some colour.

2. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside. Next, add the olive oil and then fry the onion and carrots on a medium heat for 10 minutes until the vegetables soften and start to take on a little colour. Stir in the paprika and after 30 seconds—when the kitchen fills with its fragrance—add the cherry tomatoes and chicken stock, bringing to a simmer before stirring in the butterbeans. Tip the sauce into a shallow baking dish and nestle the sausages among the vegetables and beans before covering with foil. Cook for 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the breadcrumb topping by pulling the leaves from the stalk of rosemary and chopping the leaves very finely. Next, heat the butter in a frying pan, until foaming, and then add the breadcrumbs and cook on a low-medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, so they colour evenly. Just as the breadcrumbs start to crisp up and turn golden, add the garlic and rosemary and cook for one more minute. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve the casserole in shallow bowls, arranging three sausages on top of a ladle of vegetables, beans and sauce. Top with the crisp breadcrumbs and serve with a big, green salad and a chunk of bread to mop up the juices.

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