Kielbasa Special

I wanted to make my husband a good ol' meat and potatoes meal that reminded him of his hometown in Minnesota. This meal uses the Mid-western staple of kielbasa, which is fully cooked sausage with great flavoring. A nice toasted piece of buttered rye bread goes well with this meal, as well as a tall glass of Guinness!

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)

• 1 Kielbasa sausage, cut into 1" pieces on the diagonal
• 4 or 5 white potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2" to 1" pieces
• 2 pieces of thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 granny smith apple, cored and sliced
• 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper

First, boil the potatoes in a large pot of water for about 12 to 15 minutes. You want them to be almost fully cooked. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, cook the bacon on medium-high heat in a large sauté pan for about 3 to 5 minutes until bacon renders out its bacon grease. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and garlic to the bacon grease. Sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the red bell pepper and apple slices. Season with a 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and sauté for another 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes or so, add the shredded cabbage and cider vinegar and combine it with the ingredients. Cover the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the bacon back into the cabbage and sauté the cabbage for another 8 to 10 minutes, uncovered. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed (it probably will) and add a tablespoon of butter during the last minute of cooking.

While you are sautéing the cabbage, get another skillet on the stove. Heat to medium. Cook the kielbasa until it gets nice and browned on all sides. Set it aside and cover with foil to keep warm. In the same skillet, add a little vegetable oil and cook the par-boiled potatoes and brown them nicely on all sides too. (I prefer to sautéd the kielbasa and potatoes together, but it's up to you how you like to do it.)

Before serving, combine the kielbasa and potatoes in a large bowl. Serve some kielbasa and potatoes on a plate with sautéed cabbage and a piece of buttered, rye bread...don't ya know.