For the work days: A Hearty, Comfort Food, Bake Dish Potato Casserole II

This one is with meat!  As much as I'm all for being vegetarian friendly, (for both environmental and for cost reasons),  my husband and I do love our meat.  That said, its another week day, so something quick and easy is in order :)

Ingredients:
1             bake potato
1 c          broccoli
1/2          bell pepper
1/16 lb.   Monterey Jack Cheese
2             sausages
seasonings to taste
2 tbs       half&half

Time:
15 min to prep
30 min to bake
45 min total*

Serves: 2 people

*What makes this dish quick is you can do all the prep the morning or even the day before and then just cover it and stick it in the fridge.  Pop it in the oven when you walk in the door, and by the time your ready to eat, dinner is "magically" done!

Directions:

1) Skin the potato.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  If you are going to leave some skin on, then you should make sure the potato is scrubbed extra thoroughly before you start.

2) Chop the potato into slim chunks ( and yes I know that's an oxymoron) and place in the bottom of your 8X6 or 8X8 casserole dish.  If you are making this dish for more than 2 people, then you will need to double all ingredients accordingly and increase the dish size.

3) Add the half&half and turn over the potato pieces to make sure they are all covered.  This is particularly important if you are preparing the dish in advance, as it keeps the potato from browning.  Even if you are preparing this dish in advance, this will make the potato not stick to the bottom of the dish and you still want to add the half&half.  The higher fat content of half&half will make it taste richer, but feel free to substitute.

4) Pre heat the oven to 350. Or do this step at the otherwise appropriate time :)

5) Layer desired veggies and meat.  In this case I fire roasted the bell pepper (and then scrubbed the burned skin off) to give the dish a sweeter taste.  As you've probably noticed, I am a big fan of broccoli.  The sausage does not need to be precooked, and actually works better if you don't!

6) Slice and layer the cheese on the top of the casserole.  Feel free to add seasons of choice.  I chose: Fresh rosemary, dried thyme, black pepper, and a dash of garlic powder.

7) Cover and place in the oven.  Cook for 30 minutes.  Serve hot!

Cost:

bake potato                   $0.50

broccoli                        $0.25

bell pepper                   $0.50

Monterey Jack Cheese $0.80

sausages                       $0.75

half&half                      $0.20

Total                             $3.00
Per person                    $1.50