Layered Sausage and Roast Vegetable Casserole with a Spicy Cheddar Sauce

The perfect meal for all those leftover roasted veggies in your fridge. Take little time to prepare but tastes like you worked all day long!

Ingredients:

1 16 oz package plain Jimmy Dean Sausage
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 bulb celery root
1–2 large cloves of garlic minced
½ large green pepper diced
1 medium bulb fennel thinly sliced
3 C cooked sliced butternut squash
About 2 C roasted Brussel sprouts
1 pint of fresh spinach leaves
½ C craisins
Salt and pepper
4 T butter
1 T oil

Cheese Sauce:

2 C sharp cheddar cheese grated
1/3 C heavy cream
1 ½ C chicken stock
2 T butter
2 T flour
¼ t of dried oregano
¼ t dried thyme
½ good quality or artisan store garam masala
Salt and pepper

Direction:

• Cook the sausage with the onion and green pepper. Cook the fennel in a little good oil until caramelized. To make the cheese sauce, start with the flour and butter and make a roux. Add the cream and stir to thicken, then the stock and stir to make smooth, then add the cheese and stir until it melts and is steaming. Add the spices and salt and pepper to taste. Do not boil, but keep it hot enough as you heat it to allow the sauce to tighten. You’re not looking for a thick cheese sauce but a velvety, smooth sauce.
• To assemble, butter a large 9 by 13 inch heavy casserole dish. Put the uncooked celeriac on the bottom, cover with the cooked sausage mixture, then layer with the cooked squash, then the fennel, then the Brussel sprouts, then put the spinach all over the top, sprinkle with craisins and then pour the finished sauce all over the casserole. Dot with the 4 T butter and another flourish of sea salt, then cook in a 375 degree F oven for about 25–30 minutes, or until bubbling and browned a little on the edges.