These smothered skillet potatoes with smoked sausage are an easy, hearty breakfast made right on the stovetop. Tender potatoes are seasoned and cooked with smoked sausage, bell peppers, and onions, then finished with a quick steam right in the skillet.
It’s a simple one-pan recipe that’s full of flavor and perfect when you want something a little more filling for breakfast.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Everything cooks in one skillet
- Hearty enough for breakfast or brunch
- Made with simple, everyday ingredients
- Loaded with potatoes, smoked sausage, peppers, and onions
- Easy to adjust the seasonings to your taste
- Great served alongside eggs
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Watch how I make this in the video above
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 5 russet potatoes – sliced approximately ¼-inch thick
- Beef smoked sausage – sliced
- ½ yellow onion – sliced or chopped
- ½ green bell pepper – sliced or chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed – optional
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease – optional, for extra flavor
- Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning – to taste
- Badia Complete Seasoning (Sazón) – to taste
- Garlic powder – to taste
- Onion powder – to taste
- Black pepper – to taste
- Sea salt – to taste
- Cayenne pepper – to taste
- Paprika – to taste
- Dried parsley flakes – to taste
- Water – a small amount for deglazing the skillet
Ingredient Notes
Potatoes: Cutting the potatoes into approximately ¼-inch slices helps them cook evenly and gives them plenty of surface area to brown in the skillet.
Smoked sausage: This adds a smoky, savory flavor and turns the potatoes into a much heartier breakfast.
Bell peppers and onions: Adding these toward the end keeps them from becoming overly soft while the potatoes cook.
Butter and oil: Using both gives you the richness of butter while the oil helps the potatoes cook and brown.
How to Make Smothered Skillet Potatoes with Smoked Sausage
1. Prep the ingredients
Slice the smoked sausage into rounds. Cut the potatoes into approximately ¼-inch slices. Prepare the bell peppers and onions and set them aside.
2. Heat the skillet
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and allow it to heat.
3. Season the potatoes
Add the sliced potatoes to the hot skillet and season them with your seasonings.
Add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
4. Cook until tender
Cook the potatoes until they begin to brown and become tender, turning them periodically so they cook evenly.
You can cover the skillet with a lid during this stage to help the potatoes cook more quickly. The trapped steam helps soften the centers.
5. Add the sausage and vegetables
Once the potatoes are tender, add the sliced smoked sausage, bell peppers, and onions.
Continue cooking until the sausage is heated through and lightly browned and the onions become translucent.
6. Deglaze the skillet
Reduce the heat.
Add a small splash of water to the skillet and gently scrape up the flavorful browned bits from the bottom.
You don’t need much water—we aren’t trying to boil the potatoes.
7. Smother the potatoes
Cover the skillet and allow everything to steam for about 2 minutes.
This final steaming step brings everything together and helps create those tender, flavorful skillet potatoes.
8. Finish and serve
Remove the lid, taste, and add additional salt if needed.
Serve hot.
Tips for the Best Smothered Skillet Potatoes
Keep your potato slices similar in size.
This matters more than making them absolutely perfect. Even slices mean you won’t end up with some potatoes falling apart while others are still hard.
Don’t add the peppers and onions too early.
The potatoes take considerably longer to become tender. Adding everything simultaneously can leave you with overcooked vegetables by the time the potatoes are ready.
Cover stubborn potatoes.
If they’re browning nicely but still firm inside, cover the skillet. The trapped steam will help cook the centers.
Don’t drown the skillet when you deglaze it.
You only need a small amount of water to loosen those browned bits and create steam.
Let the potatoes brown.
Don’t constantly move them around. Give the slices some time against the hot skillet so they can develop color.
Taste before adding your final salt.
This is especially important because smoked sausage can already contain quite a bit of sodium.
What to Serve With Skillet Potatoes
These skillet potatoes with smoked sausage are hearty enough to enjoy on their own, but they’re also delicious served with:
- Scrambled or fried eggs
- Buttermilk pancakes
- Biscuits
- Toast
- Fresh fruit
Storage & Reheating
Allow leftovers to cool and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
For the best texture, reheat the potatoes in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through. You can add a very small amount of oil or butter if the skillet seems dry.
The microwave will work when you’re in a hurry, but the potatoes won’t retain quite as much of their skillet texture.
Smothered Skillet Potatoes with Smoked Sausage
Ingredients
Method
- Wash the potatoes and cut them into approximately ¼-inch slices. Slice the smoked sausage and prepare the onion, bell pepper, and optional jalapeño.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and optional bacon grease.
- Add the potatoes and season to taste with Cajun seasoning, complete seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, sea salt, cayenne, paprika, and parsley.
- Add the butter and cook the potatoes, turning occasionally, until tender. Cover the skillet as needed to help the potatoes cook through.
- Once the potatoes are tender, add the smoked sausage, bell pepper, onion, and optional jalapeño. Cook until the onions are translucent and the sausage is heated through.
- Reduce the heat and add a small splash of water to deglaze the skillet, gently scraping the browned bits from the bottom.
- Cover and steam for approximately 2 minutes.
- Taste and add additional salt if needed. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
More Recipes to Try
Looking for more breakfast recipes? Try one of these easy recipes next:
Did you make these skillet potatoes? Leave a star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!