Sausage Apple Skillet from Molly MacRae

 

This is a warm, stick-to-your ribs supper that turns a cold winter night cozy. We’ve been making it for so many decades that I can’t remember where I got it or what it’s really called. I’m pretty sure the original called for adding brown sugar. We’ve never tried that and probably never will.

 How much of any one ingredient is up to the cook. No matter how many potatoes I start with, I end up adding one more. Russets work best but, as you can see in the picture, we use whatever we have on hand. For apples we prefer a firm, tart variety. If you have red onions, rather than yellow or white, go for it. The original recipe called for bulk sausage (no idea how much) and for cooking the entire dish in the skillet. I love that idea but find it easier (and tastier) to roast the potatoes and onions in the oven while the sausage and apples are sautéing in the skillet.  

Sausage Apple Skillet

Serves 4 (with leftovers) 

Ingredients

6 potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes

4 apples, peeled and cored, and cut into ½-inch wedges

2 large onions, cut in half and then into ¼-inch slices

4 sausage patties, cut into ½-inch strips (Links or bulk sausage are fine, too. Leave links whole, chop bulk sausage into chunks as it cooks. We use vegetarian sausage patties but real sausage is also great)

¼ cup olive oil, divided

Salt, pepper, and thyme to taste (sorry, I don’t measure these)

Directions

Heat oven to 425℉.

Put prepared potatoes and onions on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme to taste. Toss to coat. Roast in preheated oven until potatoes are tender and browning (or go longer and let potatoes and onions develop brown, crispy edges). This pan, with so many potatoes (and some of them being Yukon Golds) took about 45 minutes.

 While the potatoes and onions are roasting, put remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium until oil shimmers. Add sausage to heated skillet and cook according to package directions. 

Push sausage to edges of skillet and add apple wedges. Cover and cook until apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. (You can also take the sausage out, set it aside in a bowl, and cook the apples with a bit more room.) 

When apples are tender, add the potatoes and onions to the skillet (and sausage if you removed it), gently stir together, taste for seasoning, and serve. 

 Look for Molly’s new series—the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries—coming in July 2024!

Book 1: Come Shell or High Water

And in the meantime, you can enjoy her other books.

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Twitter  or Instagram.