Cheesy Potatoes with Sausage and Roasted Red Peppers

Sometimes you try a recipe that you can tell has great potential, but something is missing.  That happened to me with a recipe from Cast Iron Nation - a combination of sausage, potato, and roasted red pepper that looked delicious in the pictures, but the potatoes always seemed to be dry.

The other night, I attacked that problem by combining that recipe with the  Cheesy Garlic Scalloped Potatoes recipe.  The combination went over well on the first attempt, and I think the result is good enough to share. I hope you agree!

This meal is has a little spiciness that comes from the sausage, but its offset nicely by the creamy cheese sauce and potatoes.  Even those with a low tolerance for "heat" should do fine with it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb bulk hot Italian sausage (no casings)
• 1 large yellow onion 
• 1/2 jar roasted red peppers, cut in strips
• 1/2 Tub (4 oz) Rondelle garlic and herb cheese spread
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1.5 lbs potatoes

Equipment

• #12 Deep Dish Dutch Oven
• Lid Lifter
• Shovel 
• Spoon, knife, cutting board, etc.

Wash and slice potatoes into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices.  (Camping? Do this at home in a food processor and bring them to camp in a sealed plastic dish immersed in water.)  Peel and dice the onion, and slice your red peppers.

Light 30 charcoal briquettes or so.  

While the briquettes are heating, brown the sausage with the onion on a camp stove or the side burner of a gas grill.  Add red peppers after the sausage is well browned and stir until they are mixed in and heated through. Remove and set aside.  

Reduce the heat on your burner to low.  Melt butter.  Add flour and mix.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is smooth, add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted, then add your potatoes along with the sausage, onion and pepper mix and toss until the potatoes are coated.

Bake about 30 minutes over the coals with about 10 briquettes below and 15 or so on top. Adjust your top heat as needed if it is windy. Be careful not to put too much heat below the oven to avoid burning.  Stir every 5-7 minutes to avoid burning ingredients on the bottom of the oven.

Dinner is done when the potatoes are tender but not mushy. You might want to add a touch of milk and stir thoroughly if the sauce has thickened too much in the cooking process.  Serve promptly.

Serves 4-5