Croissants with Herby Beans & Bangers

These homemade baked beans are incredibly straight forward and have nothing more than a simple tomato sauce at their heart. You just need to give the beans and tomatoes time to get to know each other in the pan.

For a more “Heinzy” texture you can remove a quarter of them and blend them until smooth before stirring them back in. The herbs add a fresh, grassy note and should be stirred in just before serving for full effect.

Croissants may seem an indulgent alternative to buttered toast, but it isn’t every day you make your baked beans from scratch…

Ingredients

1kg

Saddleback Breakfast Sausages
4

All Butter Croissants
1 Tin

Hodmedod's Haricot Beans
1 tbsp

Belazu Balsamic Vinegar
1

Red onion, finely sliced
2

Garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 Sprig

Thyme
400g

Passata
1 tbsp

Worcestershire sauce
1

Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
1

Small bunch of dill, finely chopped

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Method

The night before, remove your croissants from the freezer. Place on a baking sheet and leave to defrost and proof over night.
Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and add the sliced onion. Cook gently for 10 minutes until nice and soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 more minute before adding the passata, beans, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and 200ml of water. Bring to a very gentle simmer and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes until the sauce has become thick and rich. Taste and tweak the seasoning to your liking.
Meanwhile, cook your sausages in a frying pan with a little oil. Try and use a very low heat and turn them often; it allows you to get an even, rich colouring on the outside. Place the croissants into the oven and cook for around 10 - 15 minutes until golden brown.
To serve, stir the parsley and dill into the beans. Cut open your croissants, pile a generous spoonful of beans into each, and top them with 3 bangers. Spoon any remaining beans across the top to finish. Eat immediately.