Even seasoned cooks are challenged when making creative meals for their families while limiting trips to the grocery store during the COVID-19 crisis.  I wanted to share how last week I adapted a tried and true recipe that was a regular in my house growing up to make a second meal that is going to stretch to a third since there were enough leftovers to freeze for later.

If you grew up in an Italian American family you may be familiar with the term “Jambot.”   This word in American Italian slang refers to a “big mess” so my dad affectionately called his version of Italian sausage, peppers, chicken and potatoes “Jambot.”    Dad would basically throw everything into a big roasting pan and cook it together at a high temperature so that all of the flavors blended together to make a delicious hearty one dish meal.   Having a lot of leftover chicken and sausage in the studio refrigerator I adapted Dad’s recipe so that in one morning of cooking I was able to make “Jambot” along with Chef Diana’s Spicy Sausage and Tomato Sauce.

I followed the recipe below but changed it around a bit since I had so much sausage.   First I cooked about four pounds of a mix of sweet and Italian sausage at high heat on a roasting pan.  I used 425˚ convection roast, but if you don’t have a convection oven you can make it 450˚.   This kept the mess in the oven rather than dealing with the grease splattering on the stove top.   Make sure you turn each piece of sausage at least once so that it browns lightly on both sides.   Ideally you cook it in the oven until it is about 2/3 done.   After this first round of roasting set 1 1/2 lbs. of sausage aside for and then pour about 3 Tb. of the grease into a large pot and reserve it for later when you make the  sausage sauce.

While the sausage is cooking using the largest bowl you have toss bone-in chicken parts (I like legs, thighs or combination) with sliced peppers, onions and quartered Yukon gold potatoes.   Here’s where you really don’t need to follow as recipe – use whatever amounts of each that you want and whatever color peppers you have available.  Coat these with some olive oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning or a combination of oregano and basil.

When the remaining sausage is cool enough to touch slice each piece in thirds and add to the big bowl with the other ingredients.  Make sure you add any of the juice that is accumulated on the pan to the bowl and don’t clean the roasting pan!   Now using your hands toss everything together making sure that the juice from the sausage is tossed well with the raw chicken and vegetables.    Depending on the amount of juice rendered you may need to add a bit more olive oil.

After well tossed return everything to the roasting pan in one even layer.   If you are making a big batch you may need to use a second roasting pan.  Return pan to the oven and cook for approximately 1 hour turning everything halfway through to make sure it is browns evenly.   You may find that the sausage is cooked through first so pull them out and put them in a bowl for a while and then return them to the pan for the last 10 minutes of cooking to reheat.    You are looking for the chicken to be cooked through to 165˚F  and for the vegetables to be caramelized and the potatoes to be brown on the outside and tender on the inside.   Once cooked through you are ready to serve your hearty one dish meal or you can transfer it to a baking dish to reheat later.

Now using the sausage and grease you had set aside follow Chef Diana’s recipe below to make her fabulous Fusilli with Spicy Sausage and Tomato Sauce.    This recipe is simple to make and so good!  My family loves it and it usually makes enough to freeze half for another meal.