“Kielbasa,” the Polish word for “sausage” typically carries a more pronounced garlic flavor and is lightly smoked. When you purchase kielbasa in the grocery store, it has already been smoked and pre-cooked so you are automatically saving cooking time with this ingredient.
While microwaving the potato pieces also saves time, the results are uneven. In fact, they were nowhere near done after four minutes, so I zapped them for another four. If you can spare a bit of extra time, I suggest boiling the potatoes in water until soft for a more uniform tenderness.
After the fact, we thought the softened potatoes should have been browned with the onion to get a crisp on the outside. It’s nearly impossible to do so in the crowded pan with all of the sausage.
Our conclusion? The original recipe (as listed below) was too sweet with two tablespoons of brown sugar. If like us, you prefer a more savory flavor, cut back on the brown sugar to—at most—one tablespoon; and increase the amount of Dijon mustard. Finally, using only half an onion seemed a bit underwhelming so an entire onion was chopped.
Kielbasa Skillet Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 lb. red potatoes (3-4 medium), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 Tbsp. water
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3/4 1b. smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
Directions
- Place potatoes and water in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave, covered, on high until potatoes are tender, 3-4 minutes (ours took 8 minutes); drain.
- Meanwhile, mix brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; sauté onion and kielbasa until onion is tender.
- Add potatoes; cook and stir until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in spinach until wilted. Stir in bacon.
Adapted from a recipe for TasteOfHome.com
Accounting for Taste 