Welcome to Tasty Tuesday at Things To Do In New Jersey!
Not too many people think “New Jersey” when they think about sweet potatoes. No, more often, we think of those warm southern states like Mississippi and Louisiana and those famous southern sweet potato pies. You’d be surprised to find out though that, in fact, New Jersey ranks seventh in the United States in the production of sweet potatoes with about 16 million pounds being harvested every year. Most of these sweet potatoes come from South Jersey, where the soil is sandy and the slightly warmer temperatures allow for a longer growing season.
There are a lot of excellent quality sweet potatoes showing up in our New Jersey farmers’ markets these days and I picked some up this past weekend. With all this cold weather, I was in the mood to make something warm and comforting for dinner with these sweet potatoes. I found a few recipes that I sort of liked the sound of, but there were always one or two ingredients that someone in my family doesn’t care for. So I did a little experimenting and came up with this tasty Sweet Potato, Apple, and Kielbasa Hash.
YUM!!! This dish was just the right combination of sweet and savory flavors and was so good on a chilly day. As an added bonus, it was super quick and easy to make, taking less than a half an hour from prep to table! Here’s the recipe for Sweet Potato, Apple, and Kielbasa Hash…
Sweet Potato, Apple, and Kielbasa Hash
¾ pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound kielbasa, cut diagonally into ¼ inch slices
2 medium sized cooking apples (Granny Smith or Arkansas Black), cored and cut into chunks
1 cup shredded red cabbage
3 Tbsp. canola oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
In a large frying pan (I prefer a cast iron skillet), heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and stir so that the potatoes are completely coated with oil and do not stick to the pan. Season the sweet potatoes with salt and pepper and sauté until they begin to brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the onions and kielbasa, stir, and cover the pan; allow the mixture to cook until the onions begin to appear translucent, the kielbasa slices begin to brown, and the sweet potatoes are beginning to get tender (approximately 3 more minutes).
Add the apples and shredded red cabbage, cover, and allow to cook for a couple more minute, until the red cabbage begins to wilt a little and the apples are slightly tender (but not mushy!).
Add the maple syrup and stir to coat. Season with a little more salt and pepper, if necessary.
Serve immediately. Makes about 4 servings.
