Midweek Carrot and Potato Tray Bake

Weeknight cooking doesn’t get much easier than a tray bake. You whack everything in a roasting tin and then let the oven do the job for you! This colourful dish is great served in the middle of the table if you have friends over too. Don’t skip the herby yoghurt sauce; it’s bright, fresh and cooling, and balances the earthy, smoky, spicy flavours of the veg. 

Serves 6 

Stores in fridge up to 7 days 

Stores in freezer up to 1 month 

Gluten-free 

Ingredients  

• 600 g carrots, not peeled 
• 1 kg potatoes, not peeled (I use a mix of sweet potatoes and new potatoes) 
• 2 red onions, cut into chunky wedges 
• 1 garlic bulb 
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 350 g vegan sausages 
• 6–8 tbsp tagine paste 
• Handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped 
• 50 g almonds, toasted and roughly chopped 
• Salt and black pepper 

Minty yoghurt: 

• Zest and juice of 1 lime 
• 3 tbsp fresh mint leaves 
• 120 g yoghurt 
• Pinch of salt 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C fan/gas 6. 
2. Give the carrots a quick wash and roughly chop them into batons. Roughly chop the potatoes into wedges and quarter the new potatoes; the key is to cut the veg to similar sizes so they cook evenly. 
3. Arrange the veg in a large roasting tray with the onion wedges. Snuggle in the garlic bulb, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and black pepper and roast for 15–20 minutes. 
4. Add the sausages to the tray, along with the tagine paste. Toss well and roast them for 15–20 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are crisp and the sausages are browned. 
5. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, blitz all the minty yoghurt ingredients until the mixture’s smooth and vibrant. 
6. Squeeze the flesh from the garlic bulb into the tray and give everything a final toss. Drizzle with most of the minty yoghurt and finish with the parsley and toasted almonds. Serve straight from the pan, with the remaining minty yoghurt for people to add at the table. 

Tips 

Try it with different spice pastes; any kind of curry paste or even Thai green curry paste will work. You could even get creative and make your own! 

Try subbing carrot for celeriac. 

If you are storing leftovers in the freezer, be sure to allow them to come to room temperature before heating them up in the oven. 

Nutrition per portion 

Recipe from You Can Cook This! by Max La Manna (Ebury Press, £22). Photography by Lizzy Mayson.