Instant Pot Sausage & Mash

I caved & gave into the craze & bought myself an Instant Pot & I'm so glad I did!!! I've made so many recipes since buying it. This just works for me because I can go home & whip up something quick, instead of waiting forever in the slow cooker or on the stove or in the oven. And you can do everything in the pot-sauting included. I just love it! And this is good for all my diet restrictions-I can cook a lot of meat again & start filling up my freezer again with meals!

One of the first recipes I made were these brats & mashed potatoes. The recipe I found included mashed potatoes, but I used the recipe found in the Instant Pot cookbook it came with. I was amazed how quick everything took & how it still tasted amazing.

*Classic Mashed Potatoes (Instant Pot) (4-6 servings)

5-8 medium potatoes
2 c water
1 tsp salt
1/2 c almond milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Place washed potatoes (I also peeled & cut them in quarters) in pot. Pour in water & sprinkle wiht salt. Close & lock lid. Select pressure cook & then adjust buttons to set 20 min of pressure cooking time. When time is up, do a quick release & open lid.

Transfer potatoes to mixing bowl, reserving the cooking water. Remove skins, if you didn't before. Add 2 tbsp of cooking liquid or butter and begin mashing with a potato masher (I used a mixer). Continue adding small quantities of cooking liquid & cream until desired consistency is reached. Add salt & pepper taste.


*Brats (Pinterest) (2 servings):

6 thick pork sasauges, prick with a sharp knife
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 c sticky onions (I had no idea what sticky onions were so I just used regular onions)
1/2 c red wine or beef broth
1/2 c water
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Add oil to pot & set to Saute. Add the sausages & brown in oil-you will need to move them around regularly to get all sides colored. When browned, stir in the onions, immediately following with the wine & water. Turn off saute. Set to pressure cook for 8 min. Once cooked, do a quick release.

Take off lid, hit cancel & push the saute button. Stir frequently & pour in cornstarch mixture. Bring to a bubble for a couple of minutes until desired consistency is reached. Serve over mashed potatoes. Enjoy!





Enjoy!...

One Pan Healthy Sausage & Veggies

I was on a sheet pan kick for a little bit and I found this recipe on Pinterest of course. And it was an easy way to cook brats. This dish had a lot of flavor. I'd make it again. I didn't have a lot of the veggies it called for on hand, so I substituted for what I did have-I used asparagus, cauliflower & onions. Still turned out great but I think I would leave out the cauliflower next time.

One Pan Healthy Sausage & Veggies (Pinterest) (4 servings):

2 c red potato
3/4 lb green beans
1 large head of broccoli
1 1/2 c chopped bell peppers
9 oz smoked sausages
6 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Fresh parm, optional

Preheat oven to 400. Line large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Prep veggies: chop red potatoes, trim green beans & half, chop broccoli, chop peppers into thick squares & coin the sausages into thick slices.

Place all veggies & sausage on a sheet pan. Pour olive oil & all the spices on top. Toss to evenly coat everything. Bake 15 min, remove from oven & flip/stir everything around. Return to oven & bake for another 10-15 min or until veggies are crisp-tender and sausage is browned.

If desired, sprinkle with fresh parm over veggies & sausage as soon as they come out of the oven.

Enjoy!




Enjoy!...

Slow Cooker Bratwurst

I was craving bratwursts one day but I live in an apartment so I can't grill them like I normally like them. So I found a slow cooker recipe. My old boss made them in the slow cooker for a pot luck & they turned out really good so I thought mine would turn out just as good. They did turn out with lots of flavor but I wasn't a big fan of the color. And I think I was afraid to really brown them the way they weren't to brown...as you can see in the first picture. They barely look like they received any color at all. When they were done cooking in the slow cooker they were clearly done but I thought they weren't cooked through so I put them in the microwave for longer and I think I overcooked some of them. I ate most of them but I was uneasy eating them thinking I was eating them not fully cooked-I just wasn't used to the color of them. I'm using to eating grilled bratwurst that are charred & have grill marks. Not too sure I'll be making them in the slow cooker again, regardless of how they taste!

Find the recipe here



Browned sausages...

Ready to cook...

Ready to eat...Enjoy!...

Italian Sausage Bake

I'm always up for a good bratwurst/sausage meal. I've tried making them in my slow cooker (recipe to come) and I wasn't too happy with the way they turned out. They had good flavor and all but I'm used to the way they are cooked on the grill so I keep looking for that flavor. I came across this recipe on Pinterest & of course I had to give it a try. This recipe was soooo good! And since I browned the bratwurst before I roasted them, they still had that charred flavor that I would normally find on the grill. I may have to roast more bratwursts! And of course the potatoes & veggies turned out well. I also added some balsamic vinegar to my bake during eating to add more flavor-yum!

To find the recipe, click here




Ready to roast...

Ready to eat...Enjoy!..