I seem to be stuck on a theme here… has anyone noticed?  Sauerkraut last week and now Kielbasa.  I grew up with many meals designed around these two items so must be feeling nostalgic.  Or, maybe it’s just that these two foods are quite inexpensive and are fitting into my grocery budget more and more these days.

The obvious use for Kielbasa is the good old fashioned skillet meal which, once again, includes sauerkraut and potatoes.  This frugal meal is an all time favorite in my house.  I like to brown up the Kielbasa a little in my favorite heavy cast iron skillet, take it out and set aside, add the potatoes and sauerkraut, and just stir the vegetables up a little in the skillet.  That gives the vegetables a chance to soak up some of the good bits left in the skillet from the meat.  Then, I put the Kielbasa back in the skillet, cover it with foil, poke a few holes in the top, and simmer until the potatoes are done.

Does anyone have a recipe that has been your family’s favorite for as long as you can remember?  Have you created any new recipes for Kielbasa dishes… recipes that might surprise us?  Feel free to share your cooking successes, and failures if you wish.  I’d love to hear from you!