Johnsonville Italian Sausage, Onions — Peppers Skillet -- When the Stew Pot Rests and the Skillet Takes Over

First hard frost. Garden done. Cattle work this week. Patrick rode in the truck. He pointed out two heifers I had not noticed. He sees things I do not. The work is shared.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods. Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Eight regulars. Three vets. I do not lead. I show up.

Beef stew this week. Chuck cubed. Browned. Slow simmered with carrots and potatoes. Cornbread on the side.

The week held. The work continues.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

The beef stew carried most of the week — chuck browned slow, carrots soft, potatoes holding everything together — but by Friday the pot was empty and I wasn’t starting over. A skillet supper is what I reached for: sausage, onions, peppers, done in under thirty minutes. After the cemetery stop, the cold truck, and the week that quietly held, a hot pan on the stove and one dish to wash is exactly right. This one’s become a regular in the rotation for the same reason the Tuesday meeting is — simple, reliable, and it does what it needs to do.

Johnsonville Italian Sausage, Onions & Peppers Skillet

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 package (19 oz) Johnsonville Italian Sausage links (mild or hot), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into half-rings
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Hoagie rolls or crusty bread, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Brown the sausage. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced sausage rounds in a single layer and cook 3—4 minutes per side until browned. Remove sausage to a plate and set aside.
2. Soften the onions. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add the sliced onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5—6 minutes until softened and beginning to turn golden at the edges.
3. Add the peppers. Add the green and red bell pepper slices to the skillet. Season with oregano, red pepper flakes if using, salt, and black pepper. Cook another 5—6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender but still have some bite.
4. Add garlic. Push the vegetables to the edges of the pan and add the minced garlic to the center. Cook 30—60 seconds until fragrant, then stir to combine with the vegetables.
5. Return the sausage. Add the browned sausage rounds back to the skillet and stir everything together. Cook 3—4 minutes more over medium heat until the sausage is heated through and the flavors have come together.
6. Serve. Serve directly from the skillet — over rice, spooned into hoagie rolls, or alongside cornbread. One pan, no fuss.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 31g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 870mg