Sausage, Potato, and Pepper Skillet

This is the third time I've attempted this "recipe", and I feel like I've finally figured it out.

I've adapted this from a Skinnytaste recipe that I found over the summer that just looked too good to pass up. Sausage? Good. Potatoes? Good. Peppers? Gooooood. The only problem? I tried the recipe as is (as I always do on a trial-run), and it just didn't turn out. The original recipe calls for the potatoes to be cooked in the pan, browned, and then steamed with a lid on the pan. The sausage is then added to the pan, and browned as well, before adding the rest of the vegetables. You are then supposed to cover the pan, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. For me, this resulted in soggy potatoes and soggy sausage.

Second time at the pass, I broiled the potatoes in the oven until they were almost done so they were nice and crispy. I then added them back to the pan after the vegetables, but before the final cook with the lid on. My potatoes lost their crisp, and my sausage which I had also nicely browned, got soggy again. Grr.

I decided to do away with the final lid covering. It wasn't working for me. My new plan involved roasting the potatoes in the oven, making sure they were evenly browned, and cooked all the way. The next step is to brown the sausage in a hot skillet, and set it aside. Thirdly, I cooked all the vegetables until they were crisp-tender, and only then did I add the potatoes and sausage at the last minute for a quick toss. Delish! Crisp potatoes that were soft on the inside: mission complete. Sausage that wasn't soggy: mission complete. A delicious one pot meal: mission complete. A bonus- this was the hubby's favorite of the versions I've tried. A happy, full husband? Always a mission complete :)

Ingredients:

cooking spray
3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 tsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (12 oz) package of chicken sausage, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (you could also use parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, etc. Basically whatever fresh herb you want.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with 2 tsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread potatoes in single layer over cookie sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to brown evenly. Remove from oven, set aside.
3. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. When pan is heated, add sausage to skillet. Cook about 5 minutes, or until sausage is evenly browned. Remove from pan, and set aside.
4. Heat remaining 1 tsp olive oil in skillet. Add onion. Saute 1-2 minutes. Add garlic, peppers, and zucchini to pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Turn down heat, cover skillet and let cook for 4-5 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
5. Add sausage and potatoes to skillet. Toss until sausage and potatoes are heated through. Remove skillet from heat, and stir in fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste