Ray's World-Famous* One-Pot Sausage Steamboat!

After a busy day at work, the last thing we want to do is come home and slave over a hot stove for an hour or two trying to create a healthy meal. We are too tired to cook, and the family is too tired to enjoy it properly. So how can you fix a healthy meal and still enjoy yourself in the evenings? I recommend the One-Pot Sausage Steamboat. Here's how I fix it for myself. When combined with a simple side salad, it serves two, but to be honest, I usually eat the whole thing myself! Adjust the portions to meet your own family's needs.

What goes in it

You'll need one 1/3-lb link of smoked sausage (like Polska Kielbasa, turkey sausage, or some other type). Around here they come packaged three to a pound, but in your area they might come in other forms, like several links rolled up together. Just figure an 8-inch piece for each person.

You will also need 1 medium sized Russett potato per person.

And 1-1/2 or 2 cups frozen vegetables. Where I shop there are one-pound bags of variety mixes, such as carrots-cauliflower-broccoli, or carrots-zuccini-cauliflower. Some of the oriental varieties also include pearl onions and water chestnuts. You could use the traditional "mixed vegetable mix" (diced carrots, corn, peas, and cut green beans), but I find this mix more suited for the BeanPot. If you want, you could always wash and cut your own favorite blend of fresh vegetables, but this recipe is geared for "Quick-and-Easy".

Necessary Equipment

All you need is a 3- or 4-Quart saucepan with snug-fitting lid, and a stainless steel steam rack. I got my rack at the grocery store. It has a perforated bottom, with a ring of perforated "wings" all around that fold up or out to fit the pan. It also has little feet to hold it up over the water in the pan.

How It's Done

Put the steam rack into the pan, and fill with cold water until it just reaches the reaches the bottom of the rack, but not coming up through the holes.

Place the pan over medium heat.

Cut the potato into quarters, lengthwise (like giant french fries), then slice the quarters into 1 inch chunks. Drop them into the steam rack.

Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch medallions (I slice on the diagonal to make it more interesting). Drop these on top of the potatoes.

Cover this with the frozen vegetables. By now the water should have reached boiling. Cover with the lid, and reduce heat slightly.

Ideally, this takes 15-20 minutes. Test for doneness by piercing the potatoes with a fork. They should be firm but easily pierced.

Using a strainer (or the pan lid) to hold in the goodies, pour out the water, then lift out the strainer carefully so the goodies stay inside the pan. Top with a few pats of butter and a couple slices of cheese, replace lid, allow to sit 5 minutes.

Remove cover, swirl around a couple times with a large serving spoon (just enough to blend the butter and cheese, but not enough to whip the potatoes), then serve!

If done right it works as a sort of stove-top casserole, with the large chunk vegetables and sausage medalions creating a lively texture.

Variations:

You can replace the butter and cheese with margarine and fat-free toppings

Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning mix.

What makes it "healthy"

Smoked sausage usually has a high fat content, but steaming it allows the fat to drip down into the water (which you pour out!). Slicing the sausage into medallions means more of the fat is exposed and thus more easily removed. If you just drop the sausage whole into the pan, much of the fat remains inside the 'skin' of the sausage and ultimately inside YOUR skin! Not good! But if you really like whole sausage, at least slit the skin lengthwise to allow the fat to run off.

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* What makes Ray's recipes "world-famous" ??? They've been tested everywhere from Australia to Canada to England and points unknown! I know because people have already told me so!