Name: The “unbeatable” pork sausage pie Jimmy and Jane Barnes make at home
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: Large knob butter; 8 thick pork and fennel sausages, cut into thirds; 2 brown onions, sliced; 2 cups apple cider, plus extra if you like; 1 apple, diced; 2 tablespoons tomato chutney; 1 beef stock cube, crumbled; 1 bay leaf; 2 teaspoons cornflour (optional); Bunch sage, leaves picked; Sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper; Garden salad, to serve; Topping; 4 potatoes, peeled and chopped; Butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped; Grated cheddar cheese, to sprinkle; Diced butter, for baking

In their second cookbook, Seasons Where the River Bends, music legend Jimmy Barnes and his wife Jane share recipes straight from their kitchen, inspired by the produce growing in their Southern Highlands garden. This pork sausage pie takes the nostalgic comfort of bangers and mash and transforms it into an elevated weeknight favourite.

“Sausages with sauce and mash has got to be one of the unbeatable comfort food on cold winter days,” say Jane and Jimmy.

Ingredients

Large knob butter

8 thick pork and fennel sausages, cut into thirds

2 brown onions, sliced

2 cups apple cider, plus extra if you like

1 apple, diced

2 tablespoons tomato chutney

1 beef stock cube, crumbled

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons cornflour (optional)

Bunch sage, leaves picked

Sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper

Garden salad, to serve

Topping

4 potatoes, peeled and chopped

Butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped

Grated cheddar cheese, to sprinkle

Diced butter, for baking

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan-forced.

Step 2

Melt the butter in a 20cm x 30cm, 7cm-deep flameproof roasting pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning as needed, until browned. Transfer to a plate.

Step 3

Add the onion to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and transparent. Stir in the cider, apple, chutney, stock cube and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced slightly.

Step 4

If you want to thicken the sauce, combine 1/3 cup of water and the cornflour in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add to the pan and stir to combine. If you would like more sauce, add some more cider. Stir over low heat until it boils and thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return the sausages to the pan and add the sage leaves. Remove from the heat.

Step 5

Meanwhile, for the topping, boil the potato and pumpkin in well-salted water until cooked through. Drain, then return to the pot and mash. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread over the pie filling. Using a fork, make a nice pattern on top. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with small pieces of butter. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with a garden salad.

Pork sausage apple cider and potato pie by Jimmy Barnes and Jane Barnes — *(Photography: Alan Benson)*

This is an edited extract from Where the River Bends by Jane and Jimmy Barnes, published by Haper Collins, $59.99.

Contributors Jimmy and Jane Barnes

Jimmy Barnes is one of Australia's most iconic rock musicians, best known as the lead vocalist of Cold Chisel and a hugely successful solo career. Together with his wife Jane, the pair have spent over forty years sharing a life of music, cooking, travel and raising their family. Besides making music, Jimmy and Jane have become unlikely social media stars, sharing their love of cooking on Instagram and garnering legions of foodie fans. Their first cookbook, Where the River Bends, published in 2021, was an instant bestseller. Seasons Where the River Bends is their second.