Lab Materials (Results May Will Be Delicious)
- Andouille Chicken Sausage - Smoky, spicy, and doing most of the heavy lifting in the flavor department. Andouille brings garlic, paprika, and Cajun seasoning to the party, which means depth without extra steps. Using chicken sausage keeps things a little lighter while still delivering big, bold results.
- Baby Yellow Potatoes - These are the starch of the operation. Baby yellows have a naturally buttery flavor and a thin skin, which means no peeling and excellent crisping potential. They hold their shape well under heat; ideal for roasting without turning into mash.
- ild, slightly sweet, and mostly water. These will cook quickly and absorb surrounding flavors like a champ
- Sharp when raw, sweet when roasted. Red onion undergoes a full flavor transformation in the oven; adding depth and just enough bite to keep things interesting.
- Sweet, slightly tangy, and rich in vitamin C, red bell peppers bring brightness and a subtle caramelized flavor once roasted. Plus, they look pretty.
- Olive oil promotes even cooking, encourages browning, and helps the spices and seasonings distribute evenly. In short: don’t skip it.
Seasoning Blend (our dependent variable)
Traditional Cajun seasoning usually includes paprika (often not smoked), garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne, and herbs like oregano and thyme; plus additional spices such as white pepper and sometimes celery seed. It also tends to be salt-forward and significantly spicier.
- Onion Powder - More subtle than our red onion, but the perfect companion to the other spices
- Dried Thyme - You can also use oregano, but I find that thyme is better suited in this blend for our chicken
- Black Pepper - A little goes a long way! Adjust your amount if needed.
- Salt - We will have plenty of salt from the sausage, so don't go too crazy here.
- Optional: Cayenne - I like a little bit of heat, but too much can quickly push those sweat glands into overdrive
Andouille Chicken Sausage with Roasted Veggies & Crispy Potatoes
Prep time: 15 minutesCook time: 35–40 minutes
Heat: 425°F
Instructions
Lab Notes
Parboil Your Potatoes
Parboiling potatoes means partially cooking them in salted water before roasting.
To do this, add chopped potatoes to a pot of cold, well-salted water, bring to a boil, and cook just until the outsides are tender but the centers are still firm (about 8–10 minutes).
Drain well and let the steam escape for a minute or two.
Here's the science part: parboiling roughens the surface of the potatoes and releases some starch. That starchy exterior + hot oil = better browning and crispier edges in the oven. Meanwhile, the inside stays fluffy instead of dense.
Translation: soft centers, crispy outsides, and potatoes that actually live up to their potential.
Size Matters
FACT: Bigger chunks take longer to cook than smaller ones.
Keeping your meat and veggies roughly the same size ensures everything finishes at the same time, so nothing ends up overcooked while the rest is still underdone.
MiX IT Up
- Use other sausage varieties like smoked turkey sausage or the more classic pork andouille sausage.
- Try using chicken or shrimp for a delicious alternative that still taste great with the Cajun seasoning blend you've already mixed up.
- Root your meal with some other root vegetables. Start your crispy roasting with carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips or a root veggie mix.
- Right before roasting, add some mushrooms and cherry tomatoes for added flavor.
- Top your dish with fresh parsley or a cheese like parmesan or feta.
- This recipe uses both a basking sheet for the potatoes, and a cast iron skillet for the sausage and remaining veggies. Skip the crispy taters and use just 1 sheet pan for 1 less dish to clean.
Jump to Recipe
Servings: 3 | Course: Main Course
Seasoning Blend
- 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme or Oregano
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Salt
- Optional: ¼ tsp Cayenne
- Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix the spices together to create the seasoning blend. Set aside about half of the mixture.
- Cut the yellow potatoes into small 3/4-inch cubes. For smaller potatoes, this could be quartered. For larger potatoes this could be sixths. In a bowl, toss them with 1½ tbsp of oil and half of your seasoning blend. Spread the potatoes on a large sheet pan. Bake on the bottom rack for 15-20 minutes.
- While the potatoes are roasting, begin heating 1½ tbsp olive oil in the cast iron skillet. Slice the Andouille sausage into coins diagonally. Once the skillet is heated, add the sausage and brown 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Slice the red onion into thin strips. Combine with the sausage once the sausage has browned on one side. Cook until the red onion begins to turn translucent.
- Slice the bell pepper into strips. Cut the zucchini and squash into ½ inch half moons by cutting the vegetables in half, laying them flat, and then cutting across to create semicircles. Toss these in the remaining oil and the rest of the seasoning blend. Add the vegetables to the sausage and red onion mixture, and combine.
- Let the vegetables cook for a few minutes on the stove, then transfer to the oven on the top rack for 20 minutes. For the last 2 minutes, turn on the broiler to get those charred, "skillet-style" edges on the peppers and sausage. Our high broiler gets REALLY high, but use the setting that works best without scorching.
- Remove both the sheet pan and cast iron skillet from the oven. Combine the crispy potatoes with the sausage and vegetables, mixing together to incorporate the flavors.







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