Seasoned Vegetable, Sausage, & Potato Skillet

Original Recipe HERE

My concern about this recipe was how flavorful it would be.  I knew the bratwurst would have a distinct taste, but the rest of the ingredients might be sort of...blah.  I thought this could be easily rectified by using Lipton onion soup mix, since that's my go-to when needing a quick potato side dish.  But I only had vegetable soup mix in the pantry, so I turned to my spice cabinet.  There was no rosemary like the original recipe called for.  Time for Plan C, which is when I start opening random spice containers and sniffing them to see what might work.  I settled on turmeric (which gave everything a not-so-appetizing yellow hue) and thyme, and I think they were good choices.

The potatoes were very soft after cooking them for the recommended time.  If you want them to be firmer, shave a few minutes off.  I wonder if cooking them without the lid on would also give them a little crustiness that would help them stand out from the other vegetables.

Ingredients

1 lb baby red potatoes, quartered

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp kosher salt

fresh cracked pepper

1lb fully cooked chicken sausage [I used chicken bratwurst], sliced lengthwise & cut into 1/2" pieces

1 large onion, chopped

4-6 cloves garlic, smashed & roughly chopped

2 peppers [I used red and green], diced into 1" pieces

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 cups zucchini, sliced lengthwise & cut into 1/2" pieces

Directions

(1) Put oil and potatoes in a large, deep non-stick skillet with a lid on high heat.  Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Once skillet is hot and potatoes start to sizzle, reduce heat to low.  Cook with a tight lid on for 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent burning.

(2) Remove from heat; let them sit 5 minutes without removing the lid. Set potatoes aside on a dish.

(3) Add sausage to skillet.  Sautee on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned (about 10 minutes).

(4) Add onions, peppers, and garlic to the skillet.  Sprinkle with turmeric and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and peppers become slightly browned.
(5) Add zucchini; cook an additional 5 minutes or until softened.

(6) Return the potatoes back to the skillet and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper as needed; cover and cook 5 more minutes.

Kid Participation: None.