Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet for Augustus Gloop

Anticipating this year’s Halloween Party theme—Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory—in memorium of the irreplaceable Gene Wilder, Izzy has generously volunteered to be Augustus Gloop, the German character who falls into the chocolate river about ten minutes into the factory tour. She is more than thrilled about these new lederhosen we bought just in time for Octoberfest. Before you call PETA on us, rest assured that sweet Augustus got to nibble on some of the spoils of this sausage skillet. And she has first dibs on the lickable wallpaper, where the snozzberries shall taste like snozzberries.

“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” WW

I’m not sure why it is so satisfying to have our seasonal food match the colors as they change in the trees. For whatever reason, fall meals seem to always feel the most like home of all the foods.

Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet

Adapted from Penzeys Spices

2 sweet potatoes

2 TB. coconut oil

1 lb. breakfast sausage (chorizo my fave!)

1/4 Cup Penzey’s Air-Dried Shallots (or obviously you could use a real shallot)

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 TB. fresh sage, chopped

1/2 tsp. Hungarian style paprika

4 Cups Tuscan kale, ribs removed and thinly sliced

2 Cups cooked quinoa

1-2 TB. Mural of flavor, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub the sweet potatoes and pierce a few times with a knife or fork. Place on the middle oven rack with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Roast for about 45 minutes or until soft and tender. Cool almost completely and then chop into small pieces.

While the sweet potatoes roast, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the coconut oil and heat until hot. Add the sausage, shallots, garlic, sage and paprika. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sausage is crumbled and no longer pink. Stir in the kale, cover and cook until the kale starts to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, cooked quinoa and mural of flavor. Cook for about 1 minute and then serve. Casually drop a few pieces of sausage and potato on the floor for the precious groundlings.