I have to tell you, whenever I make my Italian Sausage And Potato Hash, Steve gets excited! It’s so comforting and so delicious he can’t get enough. This is why today I’m making a double batch. I do everything in my cast iron skillet so there’s really no cleanup. For me, that’s always a plus.

The other thing about this dish is, it’s really so versatile. You could use hot Italian sausage, or maybe Chorizo, really whatever you like. For this recipe, I’m using a sweet Italian sausage. I also used a variety of those mini sweet bell peppers, but you could use a mix of peppers. For example, maybe a Poblano, or something a little spicier.

The combination of ingredients is up to you.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Yields:  4 servings
Equipment: 1 (12-inch) cast-iron skillet, 1 (6-quart) saucepot with a tight-fitting lid

Ingredients:
2 packages (2 pounds or 10 links) of sweet Italian sausage (substitute hot Italian sausage)
2 1/2 pound bag of small multi-colored baby Yukon potatoes, 1-inch dice
6 tablespoons of butter, unsalted and divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound package of mini sweet bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 medium-size sweet onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups of chicken stock, unsalted (2 1/2 a cups for poaching, 1/2 a cup to *deglaze)
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped basil leaves

Directions:
First, dice all your potatoes. It’s really important to pat the diced potatoes dry to remove any excess water/starch on them. Paper towels work fine for this task.

In a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter on medium-high heat. Add the dried oregano first giving the herb a chance to bloom (become fragrant) then add half of the diced potatoes, stir to coat with the butter. Season with half the Kosher salt and half the fresh ground black pepper. Remember you want the potatoes to brown not steam, don’t overcrowd the pan, cook for 10 minutes. Do not touch! Turn the heat down to medium, turn the potatoes over. Cover the skillet and cook for another 10 minutes.

Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and repeat the process for the remaining half. This whole process will take around 40 minutes to complete.

A good tip to make all this go smoothly is to be doing any prep while the potatoes are browning in the pan.

Using a fork, prick 3 sets of holes on both sides of each sausage link.

In the meantime, in a saucepot over medium heat arrange the sausage links in one layer into the pan. Pour 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock, cover, and poach for 6 to 8 minutes. Par-cooking the sausage links ensures a good head start. Transfer the links to a plate lined with a paper towel. Set aside.

After sausage links are finished poaching, and all the potatoes are cooked, transfer the sausage links to the preheated cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. You won’t have to add any fat to the pan. Brown the sausage on both sides, about 10 to 12  minutes. Transfer to a plate again set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the diced onions. Add the remaining Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Cook until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Next, add the peppers and minced garlic stirring occasionally. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 to 7 minutes. While this is happening, slice on the sausage links, on the bias.

Add the remaining chicken broth, to *deglaze the pan, by scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the broth to reduce by half about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sliced sausage back into the skillet, stir to combine, simmer for another 10 minutes until sausage is fully cooked through.

Next, add the cooked potatoes, stir until they’re warmed through. Finally, turn the heat off, and add the fresh herbs, toss to combine. This dish has so much flavor it gives you “warm fuzzies“ inside.

There you have it, my Italian Sausage And Potato Hash. 

*Deglaze: To dilute meat sediments on the bottom of a pan in order to make a gravy or sauce. Typically done with wine or stock.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/