creamy sausage and potato skillet
you all know a lot of my inspiration comes from items on sale in the grocery store. there was a great sale on potatoes this week, so i knew i wanted to create a dish that contained them. when i opened the fridge, my eyes focused on this new pack of turkey kielbasa sausage that i had in the meat cabinet. i knew exactly what i was making! now, the hubby is not a huge fan of cheese. if he orders any burgers or sandwiches, 99% of the time, he will ask them to remove the cheese. the same goes with ooeey gooey cheesy dishes. so i knew making a cheese sauce to go over these potatoes and sausage may put me in the dog house. but...i did it anyway. 🙂 and i'm glad i did. actually, he is glad i did, too! these potatoes soak up the flavor of sausage, onion, fresh garlic and a cheesy cream sauce. they are not swimming in sauce, but the perfect amount that allows them to caramelize and crust up a bit in the pan. we loved this dish!
ingredients:
- 2 teapoons vegetable oil -
- 1 lb turkey kielbasa sausage - cubed
- 4 large russet potatoes - cubed
- 1/2 onion - cubed
- 4 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika -
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme -
- - cream sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter -
- 2 tablespoons flour -
- 2 cups half and half -
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese - divided
instructions:
- preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- preheat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. i used a 14 inch cast iron. like this one here.
once hot, add the sausage.
- i used turkey sausage to cut down on the amount of grease and there was still some grease in the pan. if you use regular sausage, please drain off the grease or the dish will be too oily.
- toss and allow the sausage to brown. add in the onion and garlic. saute for a few minutes. add in the potatoes. season well with salt/pepper to taste, paprika and thyme.
- saute everything together for a few more minutes.
- meanwhile, add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. once the butter melts, sprinkle the flour over.
- whisk the flour and butter mixture and allow to cook for a couple minutes.
- whisk in the half and half. bring to a boil and reduce to simmer to allow to thicken. taste and season with salt/pepper to taste. once thickened, add in the cheddar cheese. if you would like a cheesier sauce, you can sub in velvetta instead of the cheddar.
- pour the cheese sauce over the sausage mixture.
- stir until everything is mixed well. sprinkle over remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top.
- place in the preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes until the top has browned and the potatoes are tender.
- if you do not have a oven proof pan, transfer into a baking dish before you top with cheese. then top with cheese and place in the oven.
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