Nothing is better than waking up on a lazy morning to a buttery sausage roll, but I often refuse to make one since I hate cooking with oil. Sausages are already fatty, and when you add oil it will make them over greasy and cook them too quickly, which will cause the skin to become charred while the inside is still slightly raw.
The extra oil is also more likely to splatter, which will make the pan messy, burn the frying pan and can leave your kitchen smelling awful. Instead, have found a much simpler way to cook sausages that keeps them crispy on the outside and juicy inside by using a chicken stock cube instead of oil.
I discovered that poaching sausages first keeps all the juices and flavour locked into the meat, and then finishing them in the oven gives the skins a golden, crispy finish.
Poaching may seem unusual if you have never tried it, but cooking sausages immediately at high heat often causes the skins to split and the flavour to escape.
However, poaching allows the sausages to cook evenly from the inside out and helps keep them tender so they become incredibly juicy.
Adding a chicken stock cube while poaching the sausages will also infuse the meat with extra herbs and seasoning to make them much tastier.
It may seem like a lot of extra effort, but poaching sausages takes less than five minutes, and after trying it myself it does significantly improve the taste without requiring much work.
How to cook sausages without oil
To begin, line a tray with baking paper and then preheat the oven to 200C.
Next, pour just enough water into a frying pan to cover the base. The water should not be deep enough to submerge the sausages, as this will cause them to boil rather than cook gently.
Add a chicken stock cube to the water, place the pan over a high heat, and then add the sausages. Cook for a few minutes until the water evaporate and the sausages are no longer pink.
Once the sausages are cooked through, place on the prepared tray and then place in the oven to cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
You will know the sausages are ready when they are golden brown and sizzling. Place them on some buttered bread, add your favourite sauce, and your sausage sandwich will be delicious and full of flavour.
