Maindish winter dinner - Sausage/potatoes/soybeans

Yummy Italian sausage with potatoes and soybeans.

This is one of my favorite winter dishes. The juices from the sausage infuse the potatoes and the soybeans so that every day you eat it, it gets better since it's been "marinating."

In my family typically we make this with lima beans, but my aunt had gifted me some frozen soybeans (out of the shell) and also the sausage for that matter. She bought this sausage from Costco since when we went to Defalco's for lunch a few weeks back they didn't have any. We were crushed, but we were still able to buy Parmaggiano-reggiano cheese there (for sprinkling on spaghetti) and have a delicious lunch. You must go to Defalco's on Scottsdale Road and try their prosciutto sandwich. Delish! And ask Joe how the karaoke is treating him at Hazelwood's Bar. It will make him laugh.

I digress. Writing about food experiences always does this to me. I get distracted. A foodie wanderlust, as it were.

In my family we make this dish typically with lima beans. You can also substitute the sausage for chicken (thighs are nice).

For this version I used about 3/4 cup of soybeans and I microwaved them in a little water for 2 minutes. Then I put them in a pie pan (pyrex) along with a huge sliced (1/4" slices) russett potato and coated them in a few splashes of olive oil. Then I put the sausages on top and poked them a few times so the juices could release during cooking.

Cook this for 1 hour at a 400 degree temperature oven. I think the next time I make it I'm going to try cooking it at 415 for 50 minutes and see if I can get the potatoes a bit browner. I'm down with brown.

Happy cooking.