Italian Sausages with Peppers, Onions, & Potatoes

From The Best 30-Minute Recipe cookbook by Cook's Illustrated.

Italian Sausages with Peppers, Onions, & Potatoes

Serves 4

We like to use a combination of red, yellow, & orange bell peppers in this dish. Balsamic vinegar can be substituted for the sherry vinegar here. Serve with crusty bread to sop up the savory sauce.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage, cut into 1" lengths

1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1" wedges

Salt & ground black pepper

2 bell peppers, cored & sliced thin

1 onion, sliced thin

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Making the Minutes Count:

Before cooking, cut the potatoes & slice the onion. While the sausage browns, slice the peppers. While peppers & onion cook, mince the garlic.

1. Brown Sausages: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown sausages lightly on all sides, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to plate & set aside.

2. Microwave Potatoes: Meanwhile, toss potatoes with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, & 1/4 teaspoon pepper in microwave-safe bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap & microwave on high until potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking bowl (with-out removing plastic) to toss potatoes halfway through.

3. Saute Peppers & Onion: Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add bell peppers & onion & return to medium-high heat until peppers begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste & garlic & cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Cook Sausages: Stir in wine, water, & oregano, scraping up any browned bits, & bring to a simmer. Nestle sausages & potatoes into vegetables, cover, & reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until sausages are no longer pink in center & potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

5. Season: Stir in vinegar & season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve.

This is definitely one of those recipes that will get better with time. I was trying to cook this last night while simultaneously participating in an online class discussion. I'm fairly certain I messed the last few steps up. The flavor was great, it was just a little more liquidy than I expected. I'm 99.9% sure it was user error. Regardless, it was good & I'm definitely going to try it again.