Preheat the oven to 175oC.

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a tsp salt and bring to the boil and then drop to a simmer and cook for around 20 mins or until the potatoes are just soft.

Immediately after putting on the potatoes to boil, place the sausages into a baking dish lined with baking paper and drizzled with olive oil to coat the sausages. Allow them to bake for approximately 20 – 30 minutes, turning every 8 mins or so to evenly brown them. Do not overcook as they will become dry. Once cooked, remove from oven and place onto some handy towels to soak up any extra oil. Alternatively, the sausages can be pan-fried, but they will need a little more watching and be turned regularly.

While potatoes and sausages cook, in a non-stick frypan place the onion slices into a few Tbsp of oil and begin to sauté slowly so they soften but don’t burn. Do this, stirring regularly for 10 minutes or so until they are nicely soft and translucent. Add maple syrup, 4 Tbsp water and season with salt and pepper. Allow them to simmer until the water has fully reduced and the onions become golden and start to caramelise. Allow the onions to sit for a few minutes while you bring the rest of the meal together.

Drain the potatoes reserving some of the liquid. Add a good drizzle (3 – 4 Tbsp) of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, some salt and pepper and optional crushed garlic. Mash together adding small amounts of the reserved potato water until desired mash consistency is reached (you can add ¼ - ½ cup of your favourite plant milk instead to add creaminess – I like soy milk here, and I warm it first so it doesn’t cool down the potatoes).

Pile the potato mash onto the plates, lay over or next to the mash a few sausages and then finally add a good dollop of caramelised onions to finish.

Sprinkle with some chopped fresh herbs to finish if desired like Italian parsley, basil or both, and add your choice of seasonal vegetables. Wilted or fresh baby spinach on the side would also be a nice addition.