Sausage, Pepper and Mushroom Hash

Life has been feeling extra crazy lately!

It seems like every week since the beginning of May I’ve uttered the phrase “if I make it out of this week alive, I will consider it a good week!” I’m the type of person who’d rather be busy than bored but good grief, I can’t help but remember lazy summers of yesteryear filled with creek walks looking for crawfish, day-long bike rides, reading for hours on a blanket in the grass, and staying up late simply to catch fireflies. Those were the gosh darn days. Can you relate?

This week I wrapped up a huge passion project which I’m excited to tell you more about in the next few weeks, am heading out of town for an Iowa Food and Family cookbook event in Mason City on Thursday evening (please stop by HyVee if you live in the area!) am preparing for my in-law’s arrival on Friday, cleaning up a basement full of water (can it PLEASE stop raining?!) and somehow, someway will be planning my little boy’s – dunh dunh dunnnhhh – second birthday party taking place this weekend! (I’ll be sure to post a recap on the Family Channel including what we got him for presents…I went a little nuts. Note to self: Amazon prime and wine don’t mix!)

Anyway, when it feels like my to-do list won’t quit, and I’ve got more things to do than hours in a day to do them, I have to put the blinders on and focus on a task that has nothing to do with what I’m supposed to be doing. I wish I could say this involved like, taking a hot yoga class but, surprise, surprise, it usually revolves around food.

It might sound corny but I almost always feel calmer and less doom and gloom when I’m chopping fresh ingredients and making a meal for fun, versus the blog or a freelance project, which is how my Sausage, Pepper and Mushroom Hash came to be. Earlier this week I put my responsibilities aside, pulled out my chef’s knife and big cutting board, then went to town chopping Yukon gold potatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms and sausage before sauteing them until crisp and sizzling. The dish turned out so well that I had to recreate it for you.

Creamy Yukon gold potatoes, a green bell pepper and red onion, sliced mushrooms and kielbasa sausage are sauteed until the potatoes and sausage develop a crispy golden crust, and the pepper and unions are tender and caramelized, then the whole dish gets smothered in drippy egg yolk. This recipe is for my fellow foodies with an APPETITE! Meat and potatoes at its finest.

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Meals like this are not only fun to create – from methodically chopping the vegetables, to watching them turn golden brown and crisp – but they’ve got a way of making me feel instantly better about anything I’m stressing out about. Comfort food’s got a way of doing that. So does not having to do a truck load of dishes. Did I mention this is a one-skillet dish?

Start by preheating a large (I mean huge!) cast iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium/medium-high heat (we’re looking for a 6/10 on the heat scale,) then add 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1lb Yukon gold potatoes that have been chopped into 1/2″ cubes. Preheating the skillet will give the potatoes a nearly-instant crust as soon as they settle in – so fab. Shake the skillet to get the potatoes into an even layer then season with salt and pepper and saute, stirring occasionally, until crisp and tender, 10-12 minutes.

Scoop the potatoes onto a plate then turn the heat up to high and add 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to the skillet. Add 1 chopped bell pepper, 1/2 chopped red onion, 8oz sliced mushrooms, and 14oz sliced Kielbasa sausage, then saute until the vegetables are caramelized and tender, another 10-12 minutes. Don’t be scared if your skillet is overflowing at this point – it will get easier to stir as the vegetables soften and shrink down! Finally add 2 minced garlic cloves and 6 chopped basil leaves then saute for 1 more minute.

I used Johnsonville Kielbasa which is gluten-free. I grew up eating kielbasa and LOVE the flavor. Embarrassing confession: it’s probably in my top 5 favorite foods!

Add the potatoes back into the skillet then stir everything to combine. Plate the hash then top with 2 eggs your way, and then dig in!

Ferociously filling, savory, and hearty, there is no way you’re going to leave the table feeling unsatisfied after this meal. I hope you love it!

What’s your favorite way to cope with stress?