Fried potatoes and sausage have long been a budget friendly, but delicious dinner idea. If you’ve never eaten it before, this quick recipe is just what you need! Made with just a handful ingredients, this skillet meal is ready in just under 30-minutes.
Growing up where I did, you learned how to make a simple meal taste amazing. Back then we called these fried potatoes and sausage a struggle meal. Today, I call it comfort food. There are three sausage recipes that I have in my rotating menu plan regularly and this is one of them. My smoked sausage, green beans and potatoes is the second and of course; sausage gravy and biscuits is the third.
Recipes like this dish, get their roots in the Great Depression. That is evidenced by Miss Clara – whom I adore – and what she calls “Poverty Meal” in her cookbook with Depression Era recipes. Miss Clara’s version used hot dogs instead of sausage and you are good to go to use that if that is all you have, but today, I have smoked sausage. It also works well with turkey sausage versions and polish sausage (Kielbasa).
With the rising cost of groceries we’re all facing, meals like this are going to become more and more common, but don’t let that scare you from cooking up a pan of this yummy goodness. This absolutely is a simple meal, but it has great flavors, is filling and makes great leftovers.
Plus, bonus points to you if you have leftover bacon grease because cooking this in bacon grease skyrockets the flavor! If you don’t have bacon grease though, you absolutely can use regular vegetable oil or even olive oil.
What Else Can I Add to Fried Potatoes and Sausage Skillet?
If you want to add a few more ingredients to kick the flavor up or make the meal stretch farther, consider adding things like diced bacon, cut cabbage, green bell peppers, red bell pepper or cheese. You can give it a bit of heat too if you would like by adding red pepper flakes.
The recipe calls for using plain old russet potatoes, but you can use Yukon gold potatoes or baby reds if you have those on hand. You could even swap the sausage out for chicken if you needed.
Honestly, that is one of the reasons I like this recipe so much. It is so versatile and can be made so many different ways. It’s a true pantry meal that only gets better each time you make it.
Should You Boil Potatoes Before Frying?
Eeeeehhhhhhh; most people will tell you that yes, you need to briefly blanch potatoes before frying them. However, you will notice in the recipe card below that I don’t tell include a blanching step.
That is because I don’t do it and I still manage to get crispy, browned potatoes. Actually in the photo I took, I have crispy potatoes and blackened onions, but well, things like that happen sometimes in my kitchen and these days I just roll with it.
But, I digress. The key to getting crispy fried potatoes without boiling them is a tight fighting lid and oil that is the correct temperature. The key to the oil is that you want it to fry but not be so hot its a fire hazard. A lot of people make that mistake when frying anything – as is evidenced by those Cajun onions in that pic.
Why Do Potatoes Stick to a Skillet?
Here is another reason to watch your oil. If there is not enough oil in your skillet, the starch in your potatoes will cause them to stick. Overcrowding the skillet can do this as well since the starch starts to set and causes it to become a glue like substance on the bottom of the skillet.
Be sure you have enough oil in the skillet to properly fry the potatoes, be sure you aren’t adding too many ingredients for your skillet to handle and of course, be sure to stir or flip the food often enough to prevent sticking.
What Goes With Fried Potatoes and Sausage?
Fried potatoes and sausage is filling enough to be its own meal and already has a protein source. But, if you’re looking for side dish options, it goes very well with eggs or homemade bread with homemade butter. I often add a side salad with my homemade ranch dressing and call it dinner. I can add a salad with my bread and butter for well under $10.00 for the entire meal. By the time I add up the leftovers, I have spent very little for each meal making it a truly budget friendly meal.
How to Store Fried Potatoes and Smoked Sausage Leftovers
If you happen to have leftovers, store them in a food storage container in the fridge. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave and consume within three days to avoid the meal losing its flavor.
You can freeze this as well, however, I do not recommend it. Smoked sausage that has been cooked tends to thaw quite mushy after freezing. If you absolutely must to avoid waste, do so with a paper towel in the freezer bag or bottom of your freezer dish. This helps absorb some of the water the that can contribute to the sausage being mushy.
Fried Potatoes and Sausage
Equipment
- Large Skillet, with tight fighting lid
Ingredients
- 6 large Russet Potatoes washed well
- 7 oz Smoked Sausage
- ½ Medium White Onion
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
- Bacon Grease or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Add a thin layer of oil (around 1/2") to the bottom of a skillet. Preheat on medium/low heat.Bacon Grease
- Chop white onion into small/medium size pieces and add to skillet.1/2 Medium White Onion
- Wash potatoes well. Peel if desired. Slice thinly and set aside.6 large Russet Potatoes
- Slice smoked sausage into pieces of your desired size.7 oz Smoked Sausage
- Wait for the oil to be hot enough that it has a shimmery appearance and add potatoes, seasonings and sausage to skillet. Place lid on skillet and turn heat to medium/medium-high.1 Tbsp Garlic Powder, Salt, Black Pepper
- Cook over medium/medium-high heat, stirring every few minutes, until potatoes are soft and crispy and sausage is cooked through. If potatoes begin to stick to the bottom of the skillet, check that you have enough oil in the skillet and add more as needed.
Notes
- Nutrition information is auto-calculated. Please use discretion if you follow a special diet.
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