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

Dutch Oven Chicken Cordon Bleu One-Pot Meal

Dutch ovens are not just for camping.  I like to break them out for backyard entertaining here at home, especially in the summer months. When I first prepared this particular meal, it was for that purpose and I haven’t made it camping yet. Our guests raved about it, though, and I expect it will be a staple of our Dutch oven cooking for some time.

Apart from some fancy cutting of the chicken, it’s a pretty straightforward meal.  If you are trying this for the first time on a camping trip, I’d recommend doing the cutting work on the chicken in advance, so you have a proper kitchen sink to wash up in between steps.

(Serves 8)

Ingredients

•  4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 slices deli ham
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 6-7 medium white potatoes
• 2 cups peeled cut carrots or short cuts
• 1 large onion, cut in chunks
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Equipment

•  #12 deep-dish Dutch oven
• lid lifter
• shovel
• 8 toothpicks
• assorted knives and spoons
• liner paper (optional)

Prepping the veggies

 
Wash potatoes and cut into chunks.  Peel and cut carrots and onions.  Add all of the veggies to the Dutch oven.  Add olive oil and garlic and toss until the veggies are coated.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.

Veggies prepped and ready to go.

Making the Chicken Cordon Bleu

First, butterfly your chicken breasts with a medium-sized knife, then cut them in half, giving you 8 pieces. Cut your ham and cheese slices in half as well.  Fold these and stuff them inside the butterfly of the chicken breast portions so that none of the ham or cheese sticks out.  Hold the chicken breasts closed with toothpicks.

Next, coat your chicken with bread crumbs. I just spread the crumbs on a plate and press the chicken into the crumbs.  You can also put the crumbs and the chicken into a plastic bag and shake them, a couple at a time.

Completed Dutch oven Chicken Cordon Bleu

Cooking your Chicken Cordon Bleu One-Pot Meal

Arrange your completed chicken breast portions on top of the veggies and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. In warm weather with calm winds, that should be roughly 14 coals on top and 10 beneath your oven.  If you’re not sure, err on the side of extra top heat.

Test the potatoes and carrots for doneness with a fork. If they’re tender, remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy!