Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash

Weekend breakfasts are a thing in our house. We love cooking up eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, french toast and anything else I can think up to have a big family breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Last weekend I was on call for my practice and had to spend my morning rounding at the hospital and seeing urgent visits in the office so we missed breakfast together. I decided to make something a little extra special today to make up for it. 

Years ago I found this recipe from Diane Schnier's site and my family loved it. As time has gone on I've adjusted it to suit our tastes - taking out anything spicy (for the bug) and adding meat (for the husband). This is the first time I've made it and thought about the oil/fat content to make it WW friendly. Served with a fried egg (only using fat free cooking spray to coat the pan) and swirl of ketchup the points come to a very reasonable 5 points plus for a generous 1/2 cup portion.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash (3 points plus)

12 oz sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 tsp olive oil

3 sausage links

1 tbsp water

salt and pepper to taste

ground cinnamon

ground nutmeg

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and onions to the pan and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. They will start to cook, but still be a but crisp at this point.
3. Remove the potato mixture from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the sausage links to the pan with 1 tbsp water and cover. Cook covered for the first 3-5 minutes. Then uncover and turn the sausages so they are browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove the sausages from the pan.
5. Add the sweet potato mixture back to the pan and turn the heat to low.
6. Dice the sausage links and mix into the potatoes.
7. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir to fully incorporate. Cook for 2 more minutes on low.
8. Turn off the heat, remove the pan from the burner and cover. Let sit for 3 minutes covered before serving (this last step just softens the potatoes up a little bit more so they are more kid friendly. If you want them a bit more crisp you don't have to do this).

Serves 4 - each serving is a heaping 1/2 cup

This can be modified in so many ways to fit so many different tastes. Consider a southwest twist by adding some diced bell peppers and chili powder and serving with salsa on top, a spicy twist by adding diced jalapenos and drizzling with sriracha, or a heartier vegetable version by leaving out the sausage and adding diced celery, carrots, bell peppers, etc.