📌 Simmered Turkey Sausages with Potatoes

Posted 3 April 2026 by: Admin #Recipes

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

35 minutes

Total Time

45 minutes

Servings

4 servings

We all have a slightly wrong idea of this dish. It looks like something from the back of the fridge, a recipe you pull out when you’re out of ideas and your spirits are low. In reality, it’s one of the most honestly satisfying dishes in family cooking—the kind that disappears down to the last drop of broth, and for which someone gets up from the table to scrape the bottom of the pot.

Final result — A generous bowl of simmered sausages and melting potatoes in a dill-scented broth.

Imagine a thick Dutch oven placed in the center of the table, still slightly steaming. The broth has turned a light amber, almost honey-colored, with golden reflections where the sausages have released their fat. The potatoes, swollen and shiny, still hold their shape but yield at the slightest touch of a fork. It smells of dill, reduced broth, something deep and warm rising from the bottom of the pot. A simple dish. Truly good.

Why you’ll love this recipe

✓The cooking does the work for you : Once the lid is on, you have nothing left to do. The broth simmers gently, the potatoes soak up the sausage aromas, and you can go about your business for twenty minutes.

✓Only one pot to wash : Everything happens in the pot, from start to finish. No separate saucepan, no oven dish. That’s it.

✓The broth becomes a real sauce : This is perhaps the best part. By reducing slowly, it concentrates the juices of the browned sausages, the dill, and the seasoning. You dip bread in it and you’ll understand why this dish is a frequent flyer.

✓It absorbs all variations without complaining : Carrots lying around? A zucchini? Toss them in with the potatoes. The dish adapts to what you have without really changing the logic of the recipe.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients

Everything needed for this family dish: sausages, potatoes, and some simple aromatics.

Smoked turkey sausages : The base of everything. Look for smoked turkey sausages or poultry franks—not the tiny cocktail ones, but those with a proper size. The crucial part is that they are already smoked: it gives the broth a depth you won’t get otherwise. Beef merguez works very well too if you want a bit more spicy character.
Waxy potatoes : Charlotte or Amandine. This is crucial. Floury varieties (bintje, agria) will disintegrate in the broth and leave you with a flaky texture. Waxy potatoes hold up during cooking, absorb the aromas, and stay in clean pieces. Small ones preferably—you just cut them in half.
Chicken or vegetable broth : A good carton broth is better than a hastily diluted cube—you can taste the difference in the final result. If you have homemade, perfect. But honestly, this dish works very well store-bought. What to avoid: a broth that is too salty, which will make the seasoning unmanageable.
Fresh dill : The ingredient that distinguishes this dish from a simple sausage soup. Dill brings a slightly aniseed and fresh note that balances the richness of the smoked sausages. Dried doesn’t work as well. If you really can’t find any, flat-leaf parsley will do.

Score the sausages before starting

Make two or three small diagonal slits on each sausage, not too deep. This simple act changes everything. Without it, the heat makes them swell and sometimes burst in the broth—it doesn’t ruin the dish, but the presentation is less clean. With the slits, the smoke and fat aromas escape gradually into the liquid throughout the cooking process. Result: a broth that actually tastes like sausage, not just salt water.

Brown the sausages without rushing

Oil in the cold pot, medium heat, wait until it’s really hot before adding the sausages. They should sizzle on contact with the metal—a lively crackle, not a dull silence. Two to three minutes are enough, turned just once along the way. We’re looking for a golden color like light caramel on the sides, not a thorough cooking. This step creates the brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Those bits are pure flavor that we will dissolve into the broth right after.

Pour the broth and scrape the bottom

Pour the broth all at once over the browned sausages—watch out for splashes. Immediately take a wooden spoon and scrape the entire bottom of the pot. Those little caramelized bits that loosen into the liquid are what will give the broth its amber color and that rounded taste you won’t find if you skip this step. Add the potatoes, season lightly—the sausages are already salty, and so is the broth. A few sprigs of dill on top, lid on, low heat.

Let simmer without interfering

Twenty minutes on low heat. The liquid should simmer—you should hear a discreet, steady noise, not an agitated boiling. Resist the urge to lift the lid every five minutes. The steam trapped inside is part of the cooking process, and every opening lets it escape. When you finally lift the lid after twenty minutes, the smell that rises—warm dill, concentrated broth, smoked sausage—is the signal that the dish is ready.

Tips & Tricks

To check the potato cooking, don’t poke them in the center of the pot—take one out to the side and test it alone. This avoids too much stirring and damaging the others.
Only salt at the end, once the broth has reduced. Sausages and store-bought broth are often very salty. Most of the time, you won’t add anything.
If the broth reduces too quickly before the potatoes are cooked, add a small glass of hot water—not cold, so as not to break the cooking rhythm.

Close-up — The melting potato and the golden sausage: the duo that makes this dish irresistible.

FAQs

Can you freeze the simmered sausages and potatoes?

Yes, but potatoes change texture slightly after thawing—they become a bit grainier. The dish remains perfectly edible. For a better result, freeze in individual Portions and reheat over very low heat with a dash of broth.

I can’t find smoked turkey sausages, what can I replace them with?

Beef or lamb merguez are an excellent replacement—they bring even more character and spice. Poultry franks also work very well. The main thing is that the sausages are smoked or pre-seasoned to give depth to the broth.

My broth reduced too much before the potatoes were cooked. How to fix it?

Add a small glass of hot water (not cold, so as not to stop the cooking) and cover again. Also, check that your heat is low enough—a gentle simmer is enough. An over-vigorous boil evaporates the liquid too quickly and breaks the potatoes.

Can this dish be prepared in advance?

Yes, and it’s even often better the next day. The flavors have time to meld and the broth gains depth. Reheat over low heat with a lid and add a little broth if necessary. Do not re-boil—just reheat.

How to prevent potatoes from getting crushed during cooking?

Two things: use waxy potatoes (Charlotte, Amandine) and avoid stirring with a spoon. Gently shake the pot instead. Floury varieties like bintje don’t hold up to simmering.

Is dill really indispensable?

No. Dill brings a fresh and slightly aniseed note that is characteristic of the dish, but flat-leaf parsley works very well. You can also try with thyme or bay leaf for a more Provencal version.