Roasted Potatoes with Sausage and Sesame Honey Carrots

The thing I love about cooking is that you can make it entirely your own. I added an array of different flavors to this dish and I enjoyed the combination, but if you prefer a certain herb over another, use it! I often look at a recipe as an idea, but not an exact guideline. If an herb or spice is added in a recipe that I'd rather do without or know my husband or children won't like, I leave it out. Likewise, if I feel a certain recipe can be enhanced by an addition of a vegetable I happen to have and need to use up, I'll add it. I hope you take my recipes as ideas and as always, feel free to make them your own!

Here's a dinner that made my kitchen smell so good. Roasted potatoes with spicy sausage, topped with caramelized honey sesame carrots, and a sprinkle of fresh cut parsely from the garden. I had seconds. I hope you do, too. Enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes with Sausage and Sesame Honey Carrots

6 servings

Ingredients:

Roasted Potatoes:

10 red potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut into wedges

4 sausage links, cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces (I used spicy sausage; use any you like)

2 tablespoons oil (such as canola or olive)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Carrots:

6 carrots, cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil (such as canola or olive)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin (rice wine)

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add potato wedges and oil to a large roasting dish and mix until all potatoes are coated, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper and chopped fresh rosemary. Spread out on the roasting dish, then add the sliced sausage on top (this is to ensure the sausage doesn't get coated with the salt and pepper; it has plenty of flavor already). Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, mixing once midway, until potato can easily be pierced with a fork.

2. While potatoes roast, prepare carrots. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add the 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. As soon as butter melts, add carrots. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the sesame oil, soy sauce, and mirin (rice wine). Mix until all carrots are coated well. Cook for a total of about 15 minutes, mixing occasionally, until carrots can easily be pierced with a fork.

3. In the last minute of cooking the carrots, add the honey and brown sugar and cook, mixing constantly, just until brown sugar is dissolved; then take it off the heat to prevent scorching the sugar.

4. Add roasted potatoes and sausage mix to a large serving dish, then top with sauteed carrots. Garnish with parsley. Enjoy.