Quick Italian Sausage Dinner

A plate of Quick Italian Sausage Dinner. Look at that color!

I love the intense color and flavor of this recipe. You'll love that it's done in less that 30 minutes. It's a win win combination for any weeknight meal.

No these are not beats. They are purple potatoes :0)

One of the perks of living in Idaho is that we can enjoy an amazing diversity of potatoes.Yes, those really are purple potatoes! Were you as surprised to see purple potatoes as I was? I was very skeptical at first, until I cut into one. I was shocked as deep purple juice dripped onto my cutting board and even more delighted when I opened the potato to reveal an intensely colored flesh. Let me be the first to say they taste great, just like any other potato. I was told to avoid making them into mashed potatoes (the color was unappealing because adding milk, butter, etc. just makes them look grey). Once I knew what to avoid, I decided exactly which dish I would prepare them in.  Quick Italian Sausage Dinner!

Quick Italian Sausage Dinner is one of our new favorite weeknight meals.
It's a savory meat and potatoes dish that is very

quick and easy to prepare. I choose one red bell pepper and an orange or yellow one for a mix of bright colors. The recipe calls for red potatoes, but I wanted to try the purple ones we brought home from the farmer's market. This recipe makes a lot of delicious sauce too, and I love dipping a thick slice of crusty bread in to sop it up from my dish.

When preparing this recipe, I personally prefer to remove the sausage casings before I cut the meat into chunks. I just take my knife and gently run it down the full length of each sausage and pull it off. If you don't have an extra minute to do this that's totally fine. The casing shrinks a bit when cooked and makes the sausages have a bit of an hour glass shape :0)

This is definitely a recipe in which you should prepare all ingredients (chopping, measuring out etc.) before you begin cooking! It goes very fast; but that's the point right? And of course if you don't happen to find purple potatoes at your local supermarket, red potatoes will do just fine :0)

Equipment needed: 12-inch frying or saute pan with a well fitting lid, and a microwave safe mixing bowl.

Quick Italian Sausage Dinner

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 bell peppers, cored and sliced thin (any combination of red, orange or yellow)
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 cup chicken broth or stock
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon of sherry or balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until it's just smoking. Add the sausage pieces and brown lightly on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

2. While the sausage is browning, place the potatoes in a microwave safe bowl and add a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt and ground pepper (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each). Toss to coat, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking the bowl (without removing the plastic wrap) half way through to help the potatoes mix and cook evenly.

3. Once the sausages have been removed from the skillet, drain off all but one tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Add the bell peppers and onions and saute over medium high heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Stir in the broth, and oregano, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. (If you are using a nonstick pan there won't be any.) Bring to a simmer. Nestle sausages and potatoes into the vegetables and cover, reducing the heat to medium low. Cook until the sausages are no longer pink in the middle and the potatoes are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Stir in the vinegar and season the entire dish with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with slices of baguette or other crusty bread to soak up the savory sauce.

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