Cooking: Maple Sausage Sweet Potato Hash

Prior to March, I would have said I wasn't a big brunch person. One of my lasting memories of the Ironman training is talking to my teammate about how her immediate plan for the weekend after the Ironman was to go to brunch for six hours - that thought had never even crossed my mind!

This changed when back in March, I was really enjoying cooking and really wanted to try a cooking class. I saw a brunch cooking class with Chef Egg offered @ Living Social's 918 F Street location for that weekend and while I thought I wasn't a big brunch person, the desire to take a class won out. This class changed my mind about brunch - I loved everything we made! My poor friends - after the class I promised to make them brunch (and raved about the food) but it took me 4 months to actually get around to it! It turns out I really just don't usually have time for brunch.

The best part about the class was that the Chef had a healthy focus, and the dishes are all super simple to recreate. This one is my favorite and I have made it several times since the class - just usually for lunch or dinner. The prep is really simple, but it does take awhile to cook because the sweet potatoes need time to soften and everything needs to caramelize. Have patience because the end result is worth it!



Maple Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients:
6 oz maple sausage, cut into half inch pieces
1 sweet potato, cut into cubes
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 apple, diced (I prefer gala for the sweetness)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup (regular syrup will do in a pinch, but I suggest the splurge!)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut the sweet potato into even sized cubes. I typically slice it as shown above & then dice each section. Even sized is key so they all have an equal cooking time so do the best you can.

Cut the bell pepper into even sized pieces. One trick I learned is to cut off the very top & bottom, and then run your knife around the middle to cut out the seeds. You end up with a long block. If you cut long strips, leaving about a half inch at the end so that all the pieces are still attached, it makes it really easy to dice the bell pepper.

Finally, cut the apple into small pieces. It's hard to get them all even but again, do the best you can.

Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Once the butter is melted, brown the maple sausage 2-3 minutes.

Then add the sweet potato, bell pepper, and apple and allow it to cook over the medium heat, stirring only occasionally (every 2 or 3 minutes). You will notice the food browning - this is a good thing! It brings out the sweetness. Just be careful you're heat is not too high so that browning is not actually burning.

When the sweet potatoes have thoroughly softened (about 20-25 minutes), stir in the maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Personally, I use the salt to cut the sweetness because otherwise it's a bit overwhelming for me. You may end up using more or less than suggested above - the key is to season a little, stir, & taste, season a little more (if necessary) & taste. Just make sure to save some for your guests!

Enjoy!