Sheet-Pan Sausage and Vegetables

A low-effort, high-reward sheet-pan dinner: whole sausages roast alongside tiny potatoes and sturdy vegetables until everything is browned, juicy, and meant to be served from a big platter. The potatoes go in first so they turn creamy inside, then everything else rides the sausage fat to the finish line. Sriracha mayo makes the whole situation dangerously dippable.

Snapshot

• Implements: rimmed sheet pan; large mixing bowl; small bowl; knife + cutting board; tongs; optional instant-read thermometer
• Oven setting: 425°F (220°C)
• Batch size: 3–4 servings
• Total time: about 1 hour 10 minutes (about 15 minutes active, about 55 minutes mostly hands-off)

Ingredients

For the sheet pan

• 1½ lb tiny Yukon Gold potatoes (or fingerlings; see note if larger)
• 5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 Tsp kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 1 lb uncooked sausage links (any variety), left whole
• 12 oz green beans, trimmed
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into ½-inch thick half-moons
• 1 large yellow or sweet onion, cut into thick wedges (or half a bag of frozen pearl onions; or 2 shallots, peeled and halved)
• Optional: a few whole cloves of garlic
• ½ Tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Optional: 1 Tsp dried oregano and/or ½ Tsp fennel seed
• Optional: ¼–½ Tsp red pepper flakes

For the sriracha mayo

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1–2 Tbsp sriracha (to taste)
• ½–1 Tsp lemon juice or vinegar
• Optional: ½ small clove garlic, finely grated
• Pinch of kosher salt

Method

1. Heat the oven

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the middle.

   Grab a rimmed sheet pan. If you use parchment for easier cleanup, expect slightly less browning.

2. Start the potatoes

   Toss the potatoes with 3 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tsp kosher salt. Spread them on the sheet pan in a single layer.

   Roast for 25 minutes without stirring. This is the head start that makes them creamy inside.

3. Prep the vegetables and sauce

   While the potatoes roast, toss the green beans, zucchini, and onion with 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tsp kosher salt, black pepper, and any optional seasonings. If you like, throw in a few whole garlic cloves; they will roast and sweeten alongside everything else.

   In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sriracha, lemon juice (or vinegar), garlic (if using), and a pinch of salt. Taste. Adjust heat and acidity until you would happily eat it with a spoon. Then stop eating it with a spoon.

4. Add sausage and vegetables

   After 25 minutes, set the whole uncooked sausages on the pan so they make good contact with the metal.

   Scatter the vegetables around the sausages and spread everything into an even layer. (If the pan looks crowded, use two pans. Overcrowding is how you get steamed vegetables and pale sadness.)

5. Roast until done

   Return the pan to the oven and roast 20–25 minutes, flipping the sausages once halfway through.

   You are done when:

   • Sausages are browned and hit 160°F (71°C) in the thickest part (chicken sausage should hit 165°F (74°C))
   • Potatoes are tender with wrinkly skins
   • Green beans are blistered
   • Zucchini is soft with some color

   If the vegetables are perfect but the sausage needs more time, move the vegetables to a platter and roast the sausage another 5–10 minutes.

6. Rest, slice, and serve

   Rest the sausages for 5 minutes, then slice thickly. (Or leave them whole and let people do their own knife work.)

   Pile everything onto a large platter. Serve with the sriracha mayo for dipping, especially the potatoes.

Notes, swaps, and guardrails

Potato sizing

• Tiny Yukon Golds or fingerlings (marble-size) can stay whole.
• If your “tiny” potatoes are actually closer to golf-ball size, halve them. If they are bigger than that, quarter them or expect the centers to lag behind.

Sausage choices

• Pork sausage gives the richest results.
• Chicken sausage works, but cook to 165°F (74°C) and expect less rendered fat (still tasty, slightly less self-basting).

Onion (choose your own adventure)

The recipe calls for a large yellow or sweet onion in wedges, but use what you have. Half a bag of frozen pearl onions works great (no thawing needed). Two aging shallots, peeled and halved? Also great.

Vegetable swaps

This is a sturdy-veg recipe. Use vegetables that can take high heat for 20–25 minutes without turning to mush.

• Good swaps: broccoli florets, Brussels sprouts (halved), bell peppers, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes (add for the last 10–15 minutes)
• If you have sweet potato or butternut squash on hand, cube it up and add it to the mix
• If you add mushrooms, keep them in big pieces so they brown instead of collapsing

Storage and reheat

• Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Reheat on a sheet pan at 425°F (220°C) until hot and re-crisped, about 8–12 minutes. Microwave works, but the texture will be softer.

Chicken thighs instead of sausage

Same pan, same potato-first logic, but schmaltz-forward and no mayo required. Serves 3–4 in about 90 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2½–3 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1½–2 Tbsp chicken schmaltz, melted
• 1¼ Tsp kosher salt, divided
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ Tsp garlic powder
• ½ Tsp onion powder
• ½ Tsp paprika (not smoked)
• 1½–2 lb fingerling potatoes, left whole
• 8–10 oz green beans, trimmed (optional)
• 1–2 zucchini, sliced into thick half-moons (optional)
• Olive oil and kosher salt for the potatoes and vegetables

Method

1. Early prep. If the chicken is frozen, thaw in cold water (change the water once) until pliable. Pat the thighs very dry and season both sides with about ¾ Tsp salt total. Set skin-side up on a plate. Dryness matters more than a long brine here.

2. Start the potatoes. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss the fingerling potatoes with olive oil and salt, spread on a rimmed sheet pan (cut sides down if any have split), and roast. Set a timer for 10 minutes.

3. Schmaltz seasoning. While the potatoes start, melt the schmaltz and stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper. Do not add more salt.

4. Add chicken. After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and nestle the chicken thighs among the potatoes, skin-side up. Rub the schmaltz seasoning over the skin only. Return to the oven. Do not open the door for at least 20 minutes.

5. Add vegetables (optional). About 25 minutes before you want to eat, toss the green beans and/or zucchini with a little olive oil and salt. Tuck them around the chicken and potatoes. Continue roasting.

6. Finish. Roast until the chicken reaches 175–185°F (79–85°C) in the thickest part and the skin is rendered and golden. If the skin needs help, switch to broil for 2–3 minutes and watch closely. Rest the chicken 7–10 minutes. Finish with a light sprinkle of flaky salt and black pepper. No sauce required.

Why this works

Potatoes get a full 55 minutes. Chicken gets about 45 minutes at high heat, which is ideal for bone-in thighs. Schmaltz boosts browning without slowing cooking. Vegetables added late avoid steam and mush.

Why this method works

• Potatoes get a solo roast so the interiors go creamy before the pan fills up.

• Whole sausages stay juicier than sliced sausage and give you better browning.

• Sausage fat seasons the vegetables in a way that tastes suspiciously like “effort.”

• Do not skip the potato head start unless you enjoy undercooked centers.

• Do not overcrowd the pan. If everything is touching, it is steaming.

• Do not cut the sausage before roasting. You are throwing away juiciness and browning.