Savory Potato & Sausage Stew

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Spring is finally here, so this may be my last stew recipe for a while… maybe.

I was really craving a soup this weekend. The past week or so, Maci and me have been down with the crud. So I started googling soups and stews that I’ve never made. I ran across potato and sausage stew.

Fun Fact: There’s a variation of potato and sausage stew that originated in Dublin, Ireland as Dublin Coddle. Back then it was a thrifty one pot meal made to use up leftovers of sausage and bacon. Being Irish myself, it made this recipe all the more appealing!

I love potatoes, and I love sausage, and I love leftovers.

This version I am putting together leans more towards Italian culture, which generally uses a tomato based sauce. This is where it strays from Dublin Coddle, as that is typically a white, broth based stew. Nonetheless, this will be a fine stew for sure! I will be making plans to put together my own Dublin Coddle recipe in the future.

For tomato sauces, I like to stick with a few main ingredients. Sofrito is a delicious Goya product. I use it in my chili, spaghetti, beef stew, and so many other dishes. It has an excellent blend of ingredients and flavor! I also love to add some mild Ro-Tel style tomatoes. If you’ve never had them, check your canned tomato aisle at the nearest grocery. It is basically canned tomatoes with green chilies. It brings with it a very distinct flavor as well. Last but not least, I added some tomato paste to thicken it up a bit.

But we’ll get into that in a bit.

Let’s Start With Those Veggies!

Start out by slicing up 4 large carrots. Then dice 1 large red bell pepper, and 1 large green bell pepper. Next, slice and dice a large sweet onion. Finally, mince up about 5-6 cloves of fresh garlic.

As you cut each one up, go ahead and dump it into the pot, slow cooker, or Dutch oven you are using.

Finally, we can cut up our potatoes. I used russet potatoes for this stew (I had a bunch in the pantry). You can use white potatoes if you’d like a firmer and chunkier potato in the end. I don’t mind russets because due to the extra starch content, they break down some, but add nicely to the thickness of the stew. It’s all about preference.

I toss those in and then like to give the pot a nice shake (with the lid on) to mix it all around. If using a heavier pot, slow cooker, or Dutch oven, you can wait until you add the water to mix it all thoroughly.

Now… the Sausage…

I chose andouille sausage simply because I love it. You could go with polish sausage, chorizo, or even any smoked pork sausage. Healthier options could include some very tasty chicken or turkey sausages as well. Just giving you options here. Most of my recipes are very versatile. Feel free to switch out or substitute to your liking.

I used 2 – 13 ounce packs. I like to make sure I have enough bites in my dishes to support that delicious flavor. So I pack my soups and stews good. Slice them up, then sauté in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until they start to brown and singe a bit. This adds a lot of flavor to that meat!

After you add that sausage to the pot, we’ll get that sauce ready.

The sauce I came up with is comprised of a few of my staple ingredients, Sofrito, and diced tomatoes with green chilies. I linked the Sofrito up top, and any brand of diced tomatoes and chilies will be just fine.

Go ahead and dump 2 cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies, 1 jar of Sofrito, 6 ounces of tomato paste, and about 2 tbsp of chicken bouillon (4-6 cubes will be fine). I like to rinse out the Sofrito jar with water to make sure I get all that delicious goodness out. Add some black pepper to your taste as well. Give everything a good stir and top it off with water (about 1-2 inches above your ingredients in the pot).

Bring it to a good boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for a few hours (2-3 hours or until potatoes are tender). The sausage will rise to the top, but it’s okay.

When it’s all done, you can let it rest for a bit (or overnight – be sure to refrigerate) with no heat. This allows the stew to thicken, and the flavors to meld together a bit. That’s why those leftovers are even better!

Or you can just scoop yourself a bowl out, add a little cheese and enjoy! It pairs well with a nice crusty, toasted loaf of bread!