Sausage and Potatoes

It’s Monday afternoon, and I’ve spent the entire day writing. I usually stop, go downstairs, grab something to eat, then bring it back up to my office to eat and keep going. When I finally looked up for lunch, it was 5:00 p.m.

My husband had been out on call all night and was sleeping. I knew he would appreciate a fresh meal when he woke up, so I went down to the kitchen and did the “open the refrigerator” thing, where you stare inside for something to yell out, “Cook me, make me!” But all I heard back was silence. I did this with both refrigerators.

I wanted something yummy, fast, and preferably with little work. In one, I was in full-on lazy mode. I found bratwurst and Italian sausage, which signaled my husband wanted them this week, and in the other I had a bag of onions and potatoes.

I knew there was a beautiful red pepper in the fridge as well, so the idea was: a simple dish I make every now and then, with not too many ingredients and a ton of flavor. This is comfort food at its understated best. Dinner or lunch, in 40 minutes.

Try it. I hope you enjoy it. Here we go.

Ingredients

5 sausage links — (this serves 4) (any kind of sausage works too)

3-4 potatoes (the rule of thumb is 1 potato per person)

1 red pepper — sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 Medium onion — diced

Garlic — quantity is your choice (We are anti-vampire in our home, so we enjoy copious amounts of it in everything except dessert: I am still looking for that recipe)

** I used 5 large cloves (did I ever mention that if there were a Garlic parfum, I would wear it? For real.)

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons of water

salt and pepper

red pepper flakes (because there is no reason not to add spice to your life)

Note:

This meal is very flexible. It is inexpensive to make, a rarity these days, and doubling it simply means adding more potatoes. I add three more potatoes to this recipe.

I also added 5 more sausages so there would be leftovers for those times when my husband gets called out in the middle of the night: he has a good meal before he goes in.

Nothing else needs to change when doubling, unless you want to add more veggies.

Shortcut

Use frozen peppers and onions — it will save you from having to chop the veggies and cut about 5 minutes from the cooking time

Let’s cook!

Heat your pan or skillet over medium-low heat with the sausage. (I love cast iron because it holds its heat so well.)

** You don’t need oil here. Sausages have plenty of fat, which will render as they cook. This is your flavor base. Trust me.

Brown the sausages on all sides—which usually means 2 sides, unless you have perfectly straight sausage (see image)

Remove the sausage to a cutting board

Add the olive oil

Add the onions and peppers

Add the spices

Mix to distribute the ingredients evenly, then cook for 3 minutes, or until just before they turn translucent.

Add the potatoes

Slice the sausage while the veggies are doing their thing, filling your home with fragrance that will make you and everyone within a block ravenous.

Note:

The sausage is still raw at this point (see the image), but that is correct. They will continue to cook in a bit.

Add the sausage back into the pan and mix to distribute evenly.

Then add the water and cover.

Cook, covered, on medium-low to medium for 10 minutes (Don’t open the lid!). The ingredients are being naughty and need time to get to know one another in private: it’s steamy in there.

Remove the lid when the time is done.

Test the potatoes with a pointy knife by poking a couple. They should be firm yet tender.

(The sausage will be fully cooked—that’s why we slice it: a quickie)

Turn off the heat because I know it’s done, and get ready to savor every simple morsel.

Voila!

Plate, serve, and take a bite.

Tell me what you think afterward.

Add-ins

You can embellish this meal however you like. Add peas, diced or sliced carrots, or any other vegetable you like, fresh or frozen. Don’t have potatoes? Use sweet potatoes (yams), parsnips, or another root vegetable. The options are limitless.

**If you use veggies with higher water content, such as zucchini (courgette), yellow squash (crook-necked or otherwise), pattypan, or any summer squash, omit the water.

*** If you use chicken or turkey sausage, add a little oil after you heat the pan to brown the sausage.

(Those have much lower fat content, so you will need the oil at the beginning and before you add the veggies.)

****Add curry, harissa, or ras el hanout: any seasoning you love if you want to change it up too.

Personal Note

This meal has a little backstory, as so many meals do. My dad made this a lot when my sister and I were kids. It was cheap as dirt, and more often than not, he was broke. It filled your belly and had a strange way of making you feel homey and good, like most carbs do.

When we became adults and were on our own, we started making this. After we had our families, my sister and I still cook it. We no longer make it as a fallback during lean times; we make it because it is comforting, nostalgic, and delicious.

Our families love it too, and hopefully theirs will as well, though not for the reasons our dad made it.

In the end, good food isn’t for the wealthy who can buy gourmet ingredients; it’s for anyone who can take simple ingredients and turn them into something otherworldly, simply by being creative.

Let me know if you enjoyed the meal

(Published by Kitchen Passport on Substack, 2026)

Catch me on Patreon, Substack, Beehiiv, Medium, Vocal, Wattpad, or WordPress. Dealer’s choice! Check me out on Social Media too via Linktree or my website, Ink and Echo.

Need something to whet your appetite? Follow me:

Sausage and Potatoes ©2026 Kitchen Passport. All rights reserved.