By DAVE KESSLER
Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted 

If you’ve never tried a sweet onions and bratwurst bake served with some mashed potatoes, you have missed out on a great meal. This is easy to prepare and the flavors will knock your socks off.

In fact, to avoid disruption and confusion you probably should ask those who will be dining with you to take their shoes and socks off before they come to the table. This will guarantee a nice, uninterrupted meal and will save you and your guests from crawling around under the table to retrieve shoes and socks that would otherwise be strewn all over the place.

I suggest you use medium-sized onions for this dish … but since you’re using your own judgment about what a medium-sized onion is, the cooking time may need to be jiggled a little bit one way or the other. Nobody likes burned onions.

Hint: It might be best to prepare this for your family before preparing it for company so you can get the cooking time just right.

10 medium onions

1 package of bratwurst (usually 5-6 per package, add more if you like)

1 cup chicken broth

1cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon sage

You’ll need a large casserole dish in which to bake the ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees. Cover the dish with the ingredients with aluminum foil before beginning to bake.

Caution: Don’t chop the onions. Just peel them and leave them whole. Put the onions into the dish and pour on the chicken broth.

Arrange the bratwurst in among the onions. Try to keep everything in one layer. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, thyme and sage. After the 15-20 minutes remove the foil and brush the onions and brats with this mixture. Return the dish to the oven and continue baking.

Every 5 minutes or so, baste the onions and brats with the juice in the dish. You will likely need 15-20 minutes for this baking and basting. It’s ready when the onions are fork-tender.

I like to serve this with mashed potatoes, since the broth works as good as any gravy you can find. That’s it; enjoy this delicious meal anytime you need some flavor.

Readers with questions or comments for Dave Kessler may write to him in care of this publication.