Potatoes of any kind are a delicious addition to a meal, but when they’re smothered in a creamy cheese sauce they’re next level. Add to that some sausage and peppers and you’ve got an incredible dish that can be served for brunch or dinner. This sausage potatoes au gratin recipe packs a lot of flavor into a 9″x13″ casserole dish and everyone will be wanting second helpings of this new classic.
To begin making this recipe you’ll need to peel and then thinly slice 5-7 Russet potatoes. Since this variety of potatoes tends to be large you’ll probably only need 5 or 6. Then you’ll parboil these to make sure they cook evenly in the oven.
After that it’s time to make the cream sauce. “Au gratin” in French actually refers to the crust of cheese on top, not the cream sauce. But, as we all know nothing goes better with cheese than a creamy sauce. And this one has a lovely flavor thanks to onion powder, garlic powder, and a generous helping of paprika. I use smoked paprika and it really added a lot more dimension to the sausage. If you have it on hand I highly recommend it.
For the cream sauce you just want to heat it up so that everything blends together, but not to the point of boiling or else the sauce will break.
The last step before assembling is to brown to sausage. After that layer the potatoes, onions, peppers, and sauce. Then sprinkle with cheese on top (I used New York extra sharp Cheddar) and bake uncovered at first, then covered to finish it up.
This sausage potatoes au gratin is so rich in flavor and has the perfect sauce to compliment the other ingredients. I challenge you to find a heartier version of this dish!
Sausage Potatoes au Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground sausage
- 5-6 Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese, divided
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Put sliced potatoes into a pot of boiling water. Cook for 8-10 or until potatoes are softened, but not yet fork tender. Drain and set aside. While potatoes are cooking brown the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.
- Pour potatoes, sausage, pepper, and onion into a greased 9”x13” baking dish. Sprinkle with 2 cups of cheese. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan combine milk, sour cream, butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and flour. Cook on low until thickened, whisking constantly. Do not allow to boil or overheat.
- Pour sauce over potato mixture and stir slightly to make sauce reaches the bottom layers. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered, then cover and bake for 20 more minutes. When ready potatoes should be fork tender and top should be golden brown. Optional: garnish with copped parsley if desired.
Recipe adapted from The Southern Lady Cooks.