What’s for Dinner?
A newsletter for home chefs about food, cooking, and enjoyment of food
October 14, 2025
I love apples. To be more precise, I love cooking with apples. Not only apple tarts, crisps and crumbles are wonderful, but adding apples to savory dishes brings them to a whole new level. Check out this sheet dinner - it was so quick and easy to put together, and my family gobbled up leftovers for breakfast, it was that good. It has just a few ingredients (for 4 people):
A pound of brats or Italian sausages (any sausages, really!)
A pound of apples (I like using a mix; ideally, you want them firm and not mushy)
A pound of brussels sprouts (you could use other cabbages - broccoli, broccolini, or cauliflower will all work)
A large red onion
A pound of potatoes or sweet potatoes
Dried or fresh rosemary or thyme or both or neither
Salt, black pepper, olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400F. Prick each sausage with a sharp knife in a few places and put them on a baking sheet. Cut the onion into wedges and add to the baking sheet. Drizzle some olive oil over both and put into the oven to give them a head start.
Next, prepare apples: halve and core them, then cut each half into thirds or quarters, if apples are particularly large. Clean and halve brussels sprouts. Cut potatoes to roughly the same size as your brussels sprouts. Toss apples and vegetables with herbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper and add them to the baking sheet around the sausages.
Roast for 30 minutes, flipping midway through. The sausages should reach 160F and vegetables should be golden and cooked through. Voila!
A cool variation on this sheet dinner is with grapes. Basically, everything is the same but you add seedless grapes instead of apples. If you decide to try, have some sherry, champaign, or cider vinegar on hand and drizzle a small amount over the roasted grapes to take the edge off their sweetness.
FoodFirst Updates
I have been busy designing a new course Baking with Confidence which is going live this week with the first cohort of participants! Woohoo! In this course we explore all things baked and roasted, from breads and desserts to stuffed baked vegetables and marvelous meat roasts. I am so excited to teach it and cook fantastic food!
Also, the winter schedule is finally here! While I only have a small handful of classes in December (everyone is busy with holidays anyway!), January and February are packed with classes. If you have been wondering about taking a Cooking with Confidence or Baking with Confidence course but thought a month-long commitment is just too much, check out a new “fast track” option: both courses are offered in an expedited two classes a week format as well as in a standard “one class a week” format. The content is the same.
There are also very cool holiday specials: two classes on Thanksgiving dinner, two classes on Christmas dinner, and a Valentine’s Day for Dessert Lovers!
Check out the full schedule and help spread the word!!
What’s for Dinner Archive
2025 - 09 - 23 Newsletter - Roasted Veg and Chocolate Souffle
2025 - 09 - 10 Newsletter - Goulyash and Banoffee Pie
2025 - 08 - 25 Newsletter - Kebobs and grilled peaches
2025 - 08 - 10 Newsletter - Fish and s’mores
2025 - 07 - 26 Newsletter - Cold cucumber soup and Ina Garten’s panna cotta
2025 - 07 - 13 Newsletter - Chicken tagine and profiteroles