Rachel Khoo: bonfire bangers

Growing up with an Austrian mother, sausages have been on the menu since I was a toddler. There were three or four different types (Wiener aka Frankfurter, Nürnberger and Käsekrainer) on the grill but I’d always opt for the last one. Studded with chunks of oozy cheese, this Austrian speciality combines the nation’s love of all things cheesy with their long-standing sausage-making tradition. This is a cheat’s way of creating this classic sausage at home, and the perfect treat for eating while watching the fireworks.

Bonfire night käsekrainer with ‘kraut’

Makes 4

4 free-range pork sausages

100g strong Cheddar cheese

¼ red cabbage

100ml vinegar

25g caster sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp toasted caraway seeds

4 white finger rolls

English mustard and sliced gherkins, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut five 1cm slits down the length of each sausage. Cut the cheese into small cubes and put a cube into each sausage slit. Use your fingers to push the cheese under the skin away from the slit so it doesn’t seep out too much during the cooking process (although be prepared to lose some). Place the sausages in a baking dish and cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

In the meantime, cut the core out of the cabbage and slice as thinly as you can using a mandolin. Place the vinegar, sugar and salt with 100ml water in a medium pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cabbage and cook for 1 minute with the lid on. Remove from the heat and add the toasted caraway seeds.

Place the finger rolls in the oven with the sausages for 2-3 minutes to warm through. Slice the rolls in half and once the sausages are golden and cooked through, remove from the oven and place straight in the buns so the juices soak into the bread. Add any cheese that has seeped out. Place some of the ‘kraut’ in the bun. Douse liberally with mustard and top with sliced gherkins.