Roasted Sausage, Pumpkin, Apples and Onions with Maple and Beer Pan Gravy

This is a Rachael Ray recipe my friend Adrienne sent me. Not long after sending it to me, things worked in my favor and I ended up making a trip to see her. She made this for lunch and it was sooo good! Instead of pouring the gravy on the sausage and veggies, she made mashed potatoes and we poured it on there. Even better! Also, she gave us the option of eating the brats on buns, with cheese. Enjoy!

1 small sugar pumpkin or 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into large-bite pieces (She used butternut squash)

2 medium red onions, peeled and cut into wedges with root ends attached

2 Gala or Braeburn apples, quartered, core trimmed away 

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds, half a palmful (She didn't use this, and everything still came out tasting great)

8 links bratwurst or other sausage of choice (She used beer brats and before putting them in the oven, she seared them in a skillet with some butter, to give them color.)

EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for liberal drizzling

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup stout beer (She used Guinness Extra Stout)

1 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock, whichever you prefer (She used chicken)

1/4 cup dark amber maple syrup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, onions and apples with lemon juice, salt, pepper, a little freshly grated nutmeg and the caraway seeds. 
Add sausages and dress everything with a layer of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons to coat. 
Arrange on large baking sheet and roast 30-40 minutes.

Heat butter in small pan over medium heat. 
Whisk in flour for 1 minute then add beer and whisk half a minute more. 
Whisk in stock, syrup and Worcestershire, add some coarse black pepper and let thicken a few minutes more to coat spoon.

Serve roasted sausages and squash doused with gravy.