Skillet Green Beans with Sausage and Potatoes
Green beans are hitting their peak right now across eastern South Dakota, and if you've got a garden or a CSA box overflowing with them, this is the dinner that uses up a real pile at once. It's a one-skillet meal, done in under 40 minutes, and it doesn't ask you to run to three different grocery aisles. Smoked sausage, potatoes, and green beans is a combination that's been feeding farm families around here for generations, and there's a reason it stuck around.
This version leans on a hot skillet and a lid, so the potatoes actually cook through instead of staying crunchy while the beans turn to mush. Feel free to swap the kielbasa for smoked bratwurst or even leftover ham if that's what's in the fridge.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 pound smoked kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced into 1⁄2-inch coins
- 1 pound baby red or yellow potatoes, cut into 3⁄4-inch chunks
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage to a plate.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet. Add the potatoes in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes to get some color on them, then stir and cook another 3 minutes.
3. Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes, until it starts to soften.
4. Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 8 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork-tender.
5. Add the green beans and garlic on top of the potatoes. Cover again and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the beans are tender-crisp, not mushy.
6. Return the sausage to the skillet. Add the butter and red pepper flakes if using. Stir everything together and cook uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked down and everything is glazed and coated.
7. Remove from heat, stir in the apple cider vinegar, and taste for salt. Serve straight from the skillet.
This holds up fine as leftovers for lunch the next day, and it reheats well in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen things back up.