You are wondering what this man has to do with sausage and blue potato hash. I’ll get to that.
This is my friend, Christo. When the Char-Broil All Stars first got together in 2012, I had a few reservations. In the South, we are all about hugging someone five minutes after we meet them. I sensed Christo wasn’t a hugger, although I have been proven wrong about that. We were about as different as two people can be. He was born and raised in New Mexico and has been a professional chef in Manhattan for many years. I was not born in the South, but I got here as quick as I could and have stood my ground ever since. Manhattan people are not about frivolous pleasantries. They do not make eye contact with strangers on the sidewalk, smile and say hello. Southern people not only do all those things, we wave at strangers in passing cars. We do not find this out of the ordinary.
But I will tell you when Christo and I made a lasting connection. He probably doesn’t even remember this, but I shared food with him. We were seated next to each other at the closing dinner and he made the mistake of ordering Brunswick Stew. Now, I am proud of him for ordering something so completely Southern, but Brunswick Stew is a giant bore. I felt sorry for him and offered him some of my seared trout with warm potato salad, kale and roasted red pepper sauce. Sharing food brings a bond and, in this case, one that has grown over the last year.
He sent me Hatch chiles from New Mexico. I sent him country ham and Goo-Goo Clusters. One day, we were talking on Facebook and I asked about the numerous photos he posts using blue potatoes. The ones we get here are tiny nubbins of blandness. I will not say there are many things in the North that are superior to the South, but blue potatoes are one of them. He gets them about the size of small baking potatoes.
So months pass and last week the All Stars got together in Atlantic Beach. And Christo walks up to me and hands me a heavy black plastic bag. Full of blue potatoes. He had packed them in his luggage. And I wondered when I packed my bag if the TSA people would wonder why I had a bag of blue potatoes in my luggage. No matter. Now you know why I am gifting you with a recipe for sausage and blue potato hash. Obviously, you can make this with Yukon Golds, but the symbolism will be completely lost.
- 2 links hot Italian sausage, casings removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups purple potatoes, diced in ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup diced green pepper
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon BBQ or taco seasoning
- ⅓ cup smoked sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
- Add the sausage to a large sauté pan and cook over medium high heat until the sausage is browned and cooked through. Reserve.
- Add the potatoes to the remaining sausage grease and fry over medium heat until they begin to soften. Add the green pepper, onion and seasoning and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender and well browned.
- Add the tomatoes and butter. Stir until the butter is melted and well distributed. Remove from the heat and add the parsley.
