One Dish Wonder~ Smoked Sausage Potato Alfredo

 How many times in our lifetime have we heard, "he's a meat and potatoes guy?!?" NO BUT, SERIOUSLY?!!! Maybe it's just a Midwest thang, but I've met oodles more "meat and potatoes guys" than not. I see these men on T.V. eating lavish salads and fruit by choice (they must be fictional shows lol), but rarely do I witness this phenomena in live action. The fear of anything green seems to begin fresh out the womb for many dudes and lingers on FOREVER lol! My 3 year old nephew once refused a lime green Popsicle because he "doesn't eat salad!" Such a telling statement about men/boys really lol. Anyways, to be quite honest, I'm a meat and potatoes gal myself (shhh). I love fruits and veggies and nobody has to force them down my throat or sneak them into my meals anymore, but give me a bacon cheeseburger (with lettuce, onion and tomato of coarse, hehe) and some loaded potato skins and I'm down like a rodeo clown! ;) I also love a good Saaausage (in my Mike Ditka voice). Brats, Chicago Dogs, Conney Dogs, Polish Saaaausage, Chili Cheese, Smoked, Fried, in a shoe with a kangaroo, don't even care I'm there!! Sorry about that ;) I got a bit carried away. Point being~ I like meat and potatoes too &&& almost anything covered in creamy Alfredo sauce is DA BOMB!!! MEAT, POTATOES, & ALFREDO....yeah, I dig it. Life's just too dang short not to indulge in these heavenly foods + it's pretty "dude friendly" (my fella even asked if I had blogged this... because according to his pro opinion... ;) I should... even w/ it having the wretched peppers and onions that he "loathes" lol)! So let's dish A'...

 Whatcha' Need:

• 1 jar Alfredo Sauce (or make your own with fattier milk and Parmesan cheese)
• 4-5 med/large Russet or Idaho Potatoes
• 2 Smoked Sausage Links ^ (you could easily lighten it up a tad by using chicken or turkey sausage and it'd still be bomb)
• 1 medium Red Bell Pepper
• 1 medium onion (any variety will do, I used yellow)
• 2/3 cup water 
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine

• recommended optional spices to your taste
• 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• salt

Start by washing the potatoes and peeling off any super knotty or extra gritty looking pieces and bruises or blemishes. (I personally, like potato skins so I try to keep as much of them intact when cooking, rustic, simple and nutritious) Chop the potatoes into similar sized chunks ( about 1/4 inch cubes or so.... this helps to ensure all the potatoes are tenderly united and not some done and some not so much, its okay if they are not exactly the same size, but try to keep them fairly close in size and structure to ensure more even cooking)

Next, place them in a large sauce pan and cover them with a generous amount of water (throw in 1 tsp salt). Bring the potatoes to a boil over medium heat, watching and stirring them regularly to avoid bad happenings.

Allow them to boil until just fork tender, about 15-20 minutes should do ya'. They don't need to be super soft/falling apart aka mush, just tender enough to easily poke with a fork.

~I'm still getting the hang of this awkward food photography thang, so be easy on me folks lol ~

While the potatoes cook, rinse and dice red pepper (omitting the seeds), onion, and sausage. I cut each sausage in half, then slice into nice meaty chunks. 

 Once the potatoes are tender, carefully~ drain them into a strainer and set em' aside to chill for a few minutes. Using that same sauce pan you boiled the taters in, place the chopped sausage, pepper, and onions, 2/3 cup water and desired spices, heat on med/high until the water evaporates and veggies are translucent (about 15 minutes). I like to allow the sausage to crisp and brown  for about 5 minutes after the water has evaporated. It adds a better texture and another layer of flavor to the dish. 

~One of the few things that smells nice when it sweats ^ ~

Next, add the potatoes and butter to the pepper, onions, and sausage and stir. Cook about 15 minutes or so on medium heat, stir it minimally just to prevent charring, but back off a bit and allow them potatoes to really crisp a bit. (yum)

...Last, but not least.... my dearest ALFREDO! Stir in the jar of sauce and heat for about 5-10 more minutes. Shut that operation down and allow it chill for a few mementos to avoid painful mouth scalding.... and to prevent that horrible heartbreak caused by the inability to taste the awesomeness of a dish because you were so eager to chow down on it (the struggle is real people) ;) Sprinkle it with a heavy dash of Parmesan Cheese or a little fresh herbage and ENJOY! #Meat n' Taters, Heck to the Yeah  

DA BOMB   :)