Kielbasa and Potatoes is one of my go to recipes for weeknight dinners. With just a handful of ingredients and two easy steps you can have it on the table. It’s quick, easy and the entire family will love it!
We all have one of of those meals that brings us back to our childhood right? My mom used to Kielbasa and Potatoes all the time. It was one of her go-to meals in between running my sister and I to orchestra (me) and softball (my sister).
And now that I am a busy mom myself, I find myself turning to it too. it is because it is so easy and the kiddos love it.
I mean what is not to love. Between the smoky sausage pieces and the crisp yet tender bites of potatoes, it is bound to be a crowd pleaser.
What ingredients do you need?
KIELBASA: Kielbasa is one of my absolute favorite sausages. It is a polish sausage that has a smoky flavor. It is pre-cooked and great for adding to all kinds of recipes.
RUSSET POTATOES: To keep with the ease and rustic flare to this dish, I prefer to keep the skin on the potatoes. Cut them relatively small so that they cook faster and you will also want to make sure you dice them all the same size so that they cook evenly.
OLD BAY SEASONING: This has been one of my favorite seasoning blends as of late. It is made with celery salt, bay leaves, mustard and peppercorns. It is great with seafood but I really love using it with potatoes too. If you can’t find it in the spice aisle at your grocery store, check the seafood counter. They usually have them there.
BUTTER and OLIVE OIL: I like using a combination or both. You get the buttery flavor from the butter but the added oil helps keep the butter from burning.
ONION (optional): Typically kielbasa and potatoes has onions but let’s be honest, they aren’t always kid friendly. I left them out of this recipe but it is an easy add if you want. Simply put them in a couple of minutes before you add the sausage.
How do you make fried kielbasa and potatoes?
I like to do all of this in one skillet. I find that cast iron works fabulous when I am wanting to get crispy edges on my potatoes but any large skillet will work fine. You just want to make sure that you can get all of the potatoes in a single layer in the skillet.
STEP #1: Heat oil and butter together in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the potatoes. And sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning. Allow the potatoes to cook 5 minutes before stirring and then allow the potatoes to cook 10 – 15 minutes or until tender.
DES’ TIP: A key to making crispy, yet tender potatoes is to let them sit and cook for about 5 minutes before you start turning them. This will give them a chance crisp on the outside. The potatoes will be easier to lift from the pan once the outside has crisped.
STEP #2: Add in the kielbasa. Cook 3 -5 minutes more or until the kielbasa is warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
See! How easy is that? Literally two steps and dinner is on the table. This is why this Fried Kielbasa and Potatoes is one of my favorite things to make for dinner on a busy weeknight.
If you want to make sure you get some veggies too, I like to serve it with southern fried cabbage, sautéed broccoli or a green salad with garlic vinaigrette or homemade thousand island dressing.
Note: this post was originally posted in 2010 it was updated with new photos, nutrition information and a modified recipe in 2021.
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 medium russet potatoes (diced)
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 pound kielbasa (cut in half at the curve and then sliced)
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted add potatoes. Sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes without stirring. Stir after 5 minutes. Cook another 10 - 15 minutes or until tender. Stir.
- Stir in kielbasa. Continue cooking for 5 more minutes or until sausage is warmed through and pieces begin to brown. Serve hot.
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Can this be made in the instant pot (electric pressure cooker)? If so how long would you cook it? And would you make any adjustments? I’m thinking, after pressure cooking putting it under the broiler for a few minutes to crispen it up.
Hi Joni! I diced the potatoes into bite size pieces and cooked them in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. I usually cook it as is but reading through the comments if you par-boil the potatoes, I think they would cook a bit faster for you!
I have several questions about this dish. I doubled it because of my family size, but the potatoes took for ever to cook. How big do you dice yours? what kind of pan did you use, and temp? I used an electric skillet on 325. I feel like par-boiling would have helped the potatoes cook faster.
I made this but i did it in the oven and added red peppers and other spices was yummy… next i think i will add mushrooms.. thanks
I’ve made KB & spuds for years, but I throw in a rounded tsp. of no-salt Lemon-Pepper Seasoning, a good pinch of sea salt (1/4 tsp.), and some coarse ground tellicherry black pepper (you may have to get a pepper grinder). My other version is using ground horseradish & sea salt. Both are great and everyone loves it.
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Thank you!
I made it but with russet potatoes and nuked them after the 10 minutes of cooking just to make sure they were thoroughly cooked. It was delicious.
Opps, I meant steamed cabbage, sorry.
I make this dish with the turkey sausage and potatoes. The only thing I do different is add stemmed cabbage to this dish. That’s the way my mother always made it. We called it Cabbage, Potatoes, and Smoked Sausage. Yummy!
Hi Erin- Yep you can!
This might be a silly question, but could you use red potatoes instead?
Good start but layer bottom of pan with cabbage,then potatoes ,a bag of Normandy blend frozen veggie( Broc,cauliflower,carrots).top with Polska Kielbasa.season with lemon pepper.1/2 cup water.SEAL with foil.325 degrees for a few hours. I LOVE IT and each person can decide if they want apple cider vinegar .I LOVE the vinegar drizzled on mine! This dish is SOOOOO good!
deedasher- I’ve eaten this as leftovers the next day for lunch so I would say that would be just fine. :)
can I make this up the night before? will the potatoes stay good and just warm up the next day
This was delicious and super easy. The only problem I found is that the skillet gets a bit crowded. If you’re a little picky about browning the meat I would use a separate skillet for the sausage and cook it with the other half of the onion.
Definitely trying this recipe,Thanks for sharing,simple but filling,my kind of recipe
The name “kielbasa” is not turkish but polish!!!
Thanks Meahan! Did this one last night- definite keeper! After reading the of the other comments I used the pre- boil method for the potatoes ( about 8 min) and crisped them up in the pan while browning the chicken smoked sausage (since that’s what I had). I also added a 1/2 red and 1/2 a yellow bell pepper and some fresh minced garlic that I sauteed with the onion in the pan first then set aside. In the last minute i combined the peppers/onions and the potatoes and sausage to blend and rewarm.
[…] 2001: A Space Odyssey and agonized on how long the movie feels compared to its run time. We made kielbasa and potatoes for dinner, and then played Arkham Horror with our friend, Matt. We got our butts handed to us by […]
thanks for the idea Meagan, i might try pre-boiling them this time.
Deseree, the potatoes were slightly hard still, but hot. the second time we tried it-we did 3 rounds of 5 on the potatoes before adding anything extra, and it helped. to be fair, we are also adding extras to this meal-to stretch it out for our family of 4…we added green peppers and mushrooms to it. and the last time we made it-we tried crumbled breakfast sausage-Sooo Delish!
This week im back to turkey kielbasa. Our household loves this dish! OK-the grown ups love it-and the kids pick at it-but who’s keeping score right?! LOL
an idea for the potatoes- Pre-boil them until fork tender. Then toss them into the pot as you would before, but don’t cook as long. you want them to get a little “crust” of love on them, but don’t over cook. (maybe 2-3 minutes each side)
then continue on. The potatoes may be more delicate, so don’t mix hard, but they will be done.
(I’m a classically trained chef, along with 10+ years experience.)
Safoora and Shriley I’m glad that you enjoyed this dish! Amanda- Did you have a problem with the potatoes? I usually don’t have a problem with the potatoes unless I cut them a little bigger, but if I happen to do that I just let them cook a little longer.
So delicious! I just made this and it made my day! Thanks for the recipe!
BNDQ8- Thanks! You can use turkey sausage if you like or regular beef kielbasa if you have access to that.
It looks so delicious!! we dont really have turkey kielbasa ..can i use turkey sausage?
im currently making this now, and hubby is complaining about the potatoes possibly not cooking through…did anyone have this problem?
I made this last night – was delicious! Perfect way to beat the chill! :)
My mom used to make this for us all of the time, too. It has since turned into my boyfriend’s favorite on a cold night… with a bit of ketchup on top :)
That looks like the perfect cold weather comfort food! I’m going to try to find turkey kielbasa at the store this weekend.
My mom used to make this all the time! And serve it with fresh corn on the cob from the garden. Wow! I’m going to have to make this for my kids soon. My Lilly would love it! :-)
Umm sounds like a plan for tonight!
this is a great quick whip meal! I just might make this sometime this week :)