Fried Potatoes and Onions/Peppers with Smoked Sausage

Ingredients:

2 lbs baby red potatoes (you can also use regular red potatoes or gold potatoes), cut into 1 – 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 onion, sliced into thick half circles

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

8 oz smoked sausage or kielbasa (I use smoked Polish kielbasa), cut into 1-inch pieces

8 oz fresh mushrooms (baby Bella, white button, etc.), cut in half or quarters

1/4 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 Tablespoon spice/ dry herbs blend

salt, ground black pepper

fresh herbs, minced (parsley, thyme, chives, dill, etc)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit (I used the convection setting on my oven, although if you don’t have that option, it will still work.). Place a large rimmed baking sheet into the oven at the same time, so that it heats up while you are prepping all the ingredients.

Scrub the potatoes really well and cut them into 1 – 1½ inch pieces. Place them into a medium pot, and fill it with water, so that the water is just barely covering the potatoes. Bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, covered, just until the potatoes are halfway cooked through. Drain the potatoes.

Meanwhile, cut the mushrooms in half or in quarters if they are very large. Slice the onions into thick half circles. Cut the bell pepper into 1-inch pieces, and slice the sausage into 1-inch pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, olive oil, minced garlic cloves, fresh thyme salt, freshly ground black pepper and a mixture of dry herbs.

When the potatoes are halfway cooked, gently toss them with the mushroom and pepper mixture, along with the sausage.

Take out the searingly hot baking sheet from the oven and quickly spread everything out in one layer.

Roast in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables are all cooked through and golden brown, turning everything over halfway through cooking. You can broil the dish during the last few minutes of cooking to give it extra brownness and a slight char.

Garnish with fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, chives, dill, etc.

Make Ahead: Prep all the ingredients, without placing them onto the baking sheet. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 days. When you are ready to serve, preheat the oven with the rimmed baking sheet in it and then proceed with the rest of the steps.