This zesty dish is suitable for all sorts of occasions. As a first course, it will turn an ordinary meal into a festive occasion. It’s also a great main course for a family dinner, with a salad and pasta. Heap the sausages and potatoes on a big platter, and let people help themselves.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　2 pounds red potatoes or new potatoes (4 medium-sized is best)

　　1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　6 plump garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

　　1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste

　　1 cup Tuscan-style peperoncini (small whole peppers) in vinegar, drained, seeded, and thinly sliced (12-ounce jar)

　　3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste

　　1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausages, preferably thin

　　

Recommended Equipment

A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 13-inch diameter or larger, with a cover

　　

Step 1

Scrub and dry the potatoes, but don’t peel them. Slice them lengthwise into sticks and wedges, about 1/2 inch wide (French-fry size).

　　

Step 2

Pour the olive oil into the skillet and set over medium-high heat. Scatter the garlic and peperoncino flakes in the oil. Stir and toss the garlic for a minute or so, until lightly colored, then, with a slotted spoon or skimmer, scoop all the cloves from the pan and reserve. Strew the sliced pickled peperoncini in the oil and toast them, stirring, for about a minute, just to get them sizzling, then scoop them out—letting all the oil drain back into the pan.

　　

Step 3

Scatter the cut potatoes in the skillet, and toss them in the flavored oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and cook for 6 minutes or so, over moderate heat. Toss and turn them frequently, until lightly crisped on all sides.

　　

Step 4

Push the potatoes to the side of the skillet, and lay all the sausages in the pan. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes, rotating and shifting the sausages until they’re sizzling and lightly browned on all sides; turn the potatoes as needed so they don’t burn.

　　

Step 5

Cover the pan, lower the heat, and keep the potatoes and sausages sizzling and caramelizing slowly for about 20 minutes, turning and moving them in the skillet now and then. Remove the cover, and scatter the reserved garlic and peperoncini all over. Taste a potato, and season with more salt if you like. Cook uncovered for another 10 minutes or so, over low to moderate heat, until all the potatoes and sausages are caramelized and crisp on the outside, and tender and fully cooked inside.

　　

Step 6

Serve hot (and spicy).

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 119.9 calories

　　4.3 calories from fat

　　0.5 g total fat

　　0.1 g saturated fat

　　0.0 mg cholesterol

　　381.6 mg sodium

　　26.9 g total carbs

　　3.1g dietary fiber

　　3.2 g sugars

　　3.4 g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　From Lidia's Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Copyright (c) 2007 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York.