Kielbasi, taters, a red pepper, and a hint of heat make for a delicious one-pan meal.

We had leftover kielbasa after Easter, but it wasn’t from the Easter meal. All the remains of Easter (except some ham, used for a soup I’ll write about soon) had been pretty much finished, but MT got a hankering for more of the Polish sausage, so she cooked up a ring in the freezer. She had bought two, one for Easter, and one for sometime later. “Later” just came a lot sooner than expected.

I wasn’t hungry that evening, so a few days later, there was the better part of the ring sitting in the fridge, and I decided to look for a new recipe that would combine kielbasa and some potatoes we also had sitting around for a while. This one caught my eye partly because the mix of ingredients sounded tasty, but also because it calls for a little chicken stock near the end, adding more flavor to the array of bell pepper, onion, garlic, hot sauce and Parmesan.

Long-time readers know I’ve dabbled in kielbasa dishes before: a skillet casoulet with leftover ham, sandwiches with a quick kimchi and cheddar cheese, with pasta and a creamy mustard sauce, a single sheet pan dish with potatoes and green beans in the oven, and with some seasoned potatoes worthy of being their own side dish to many meals.

Some have been bigger hits than others at our house, but this one may have topped them all. We agreed the flavor array combined splendidly, something that can be hard to come by with the hearty spices of most kielbasa defying the notion of “melding” with other tastes.

It has the bonus of being a one-pan dish, though you do have to set the potatoes aside in a bowl while cooking everything else before returning the spuds to the skillet.

Only one variation: The recipe suggests baby red potatoes. We had full-size red potatoes sitting around and getting a bit old, so I just cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Dobru chut!

Kielbasa and Potatoes (iamhomesteader.com)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1½ pounds baby red potatoes, quartered (approximately 10 potatoes)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 packages (13.5 ounces each) kielbasa, or smoked sausage, sliced into ½-inch rounds

1 yellow onion, minced (approximately 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch strips

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon garlic, minced

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Fresh parsley, for garnish

Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the baby potatoes. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and cook for 28-30 minutes, or until they are fork-tender. Transfer the cooked potatoes to a plate and set them aside.

To the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the smoked sausage to the skillet to brown on each side, 3-4 minutes per side.

Add the onion, bell pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Cook the vegetables for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the onions and peppers are softened.

Add the chicken stock and hot sauce. Stir to combine.

Add the potatoes back to the skillet and mix all the ingredients together until the potatoes are reheated.

Serve immediately, topped with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.