Actually it was all the fault of the fish shop. I’d planned a really nice dish to try out for dinner using fresh fish – and when I made a special trip there to buy it, they had closed early!

So it was back to the (almost empty) cupboard for inspiration. It had to be something quick and easy because by now I was running out of time too.

I was in luck. The freezer yielded a pack of four Poacher’s Pantry (www.poacherspantry.com.au) smoked lamb sausages. I’d picked them up on a recent trip to the area, when we had dropped in and discovered their Smokehouse Café was getting smart new lick of paint at the time, and some great bargains on products in their cool room.

Now, with dinnertime looming I found a couple of large potatoes and with these two ingredients, and two or three more, I concocted one of the best and easiest dishes ever. I am sure it would work with other sausages, but these smoked lamb ones are sensational and it is worth trying to find them at your deli or fruit market, or better still dropping in when you are in Canberra. Poacher’s Pantry is just a few kilometres out of town.

SAUSAGE AND POTATO BAKE*

4 smoked lamb sausages, thinly sliced
2 large potatoes, peeled, boiled until just done
150ml cream
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese

Lightly fry sausage slices in a little oil. Press the cooked potatoes through a ricer or coarse sieve. Grease a baking dish and place half the potato on the base. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the sausages, then the remaining potato, leaving it lightly in place, not pressed down. Season with salt and pepper again. Mix the eggs and cream and pour evenly over the potato, then sprinkle with a little grated parmesan or any other cheese you like. Bake in a preheated 190C oven (170C fan-forced) for around 40 minutes or until golden.

I served this with some thinly sliced kumatoes (those very dark-skinned tomatoes) a favourite ’new’ food of mine, and some steamed snow peas, but really, any vegetables, or even a fresh salad would do. Serves 4.

* Sorry! There is no picture. It looked and smelled so good – and I told you it was late – so we ate it all. You just have to imagine it!