Firecracker Sausage & Potatoes

A Sweet, Spicy And Smoky One-Pan Dinner

Firecracker Sausage and Potatoes is one of those dinners that looks like you did a lot more work than you actually did.

Baby potatoes are roasted with smoky jalapeño cheddar sausage and sweet onions until the potatoes have crispy edges, the sausage gets browned, and the onions start to caramelize.

Then comes the best part.

Everything gets tossed in a buttery sweet and spicy firecracker sauce made with hot sauce, brown sugar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and crushed red pepper.

Back into the oven it goes for just a few more minutes until that sauce gets a little sticky and clings to the potatoes and sausage.

It is spicy without being ridiculous, a little sweet, buttery, smoky, and incredibly easy.

And it’s all made in one pan.

Before You Skip To The Recipe

There are three things worth reading before you start:

What Makes It Firecracker Sauce?

Choosing The Right Sausage

How To Adjust The Heat

Fourth Of July In The Upper Peninsula

The Fourth of July is usually spent at our lake house in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula.

We are often surrounded by friends and family, and food is obviously a big part of the weekend.

You might picture the Fourth of July as one of those blazing hot summer holidays where everyone wants cold salads and something off the grill.

That isn’t always how it goes in the U.P.

We have definitely had Fourth of July weekends where you need a sweatshirt by evening.

That is one of the reasons this Firecracker Sausage and Potatoes works so well up there.

It is hearty enough for one of those cool Northwoods evenings but still feels like cookout food.

You can put it out with baked beans, pasta salad, burgers, brats, and whatever else is coming off the grill.

And if you have a house full of people, it is very easy to double.

What Exactly Is Firecracker Sauce?

“Firecracker” is usually the name given to a sauce that combines sweet, spicy, tangy, and savory flavors.

There are all kinds of versions.

Mine is intentionally simple because this is supposed to be an easy dinner.

I use:

• Melted butter
• Hot sauce
• Brown sugar
• Garlic powder
• Worcestershire sauce
• Crushed red pepper flakes

The butter makes it rich.

The hot sauce and red pepper give you heat.

Brown sugar adds just enough sweetness to balance the spice.

Worcestershire gives it that deeper savory flavor.

When everything comes together, you get a buttery sauce that’s sweet at first and then gives you a little heat at the end.

Why I Add The Sauce At The End

This is important.

I don’t pour the firecracker sauce over everything at the beginning.

First, I want the potatoes, sausage, and onions to ROAST.

The potatoes need direct heat so their edges can brown.

The sausage needs time to get those delicious browned edges.

And the onions need a chance to caramelize.

If everything starts out swimming in buttery sauce, you are changing the way those ingredients cook.

So let them roast first.

THEN add the sauce.

After approximately 30 minutes, pour the firecracker sauce over everything, toss it well, and put the pan back into the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Now the sauce can thicken slightly and coat all those already-browned surfaces.

That final trip through the oven is what turns it from sausage and potatoes into Firecracker Sausage and Potatoes.

Choosing The Right Sausage

I used jalapeño cheddar smoked sausage for this recipe.

I love it because you’re getting another layer of flavor and heat before the firecracker sauce even enters the picture.

The sausage is already fully cooked, so we’re really roasting it to heat it through and develop those browned edges.

But you absolutely do not have to use jalapeño cheddar.

This recipe would also work with:

• Regular smoked sausage
• Kielbasa
• Cheddar smoked sausage
• Andouille
• Turkey smoked sausage
• Chicken sausage

Just make sure you’re using the appropriate type of sausage for this relatively quick roasting method.

Want It Spicy?

Use the jalapeño cheddar sausage.

Use the full amount of hot sauce.

Keep the crushed red pepper.

And if you’re someone who thinks everything needs more heat, add a little cayenne or your favorite hot pepper sauce.

You can also serve extra hot sauce at the table.

This is an easy recipe to make hotter because you’re controlling several different sources of heat.

Don’t Like Spicy Food?

This recipe is just as easy to calm down.

Use regular smoked sausage or kielbasa instead of jalapeño cheddar sausage.

Reduce the hot sauce to about 1 tablespoon.

Leave out the crushed red pepper flakes.

You’ll still have the butter, brown sugar, garlic, and Worcestershire giving you a delicious glaze.

It will be more sweet, buttery, and tangy than spicy.

This is what I would do if you’re feeding a crowd and aren’t sure how everyone feels about heat.

You can always put hot sauce and crushed red pepper on the table for the people who want to set their mouths on fire.

What Hot Sauce Should I Use?

You do not need some rare specialty hot sauce for this.

Use a basic vinegar-based hot sauce that you already like.

Because there is brown sugar and butter in the sauce, even a fairly punchy hot sauce gets mellowed somewhat.

The important thing is knowing YOUR hot sauce.

Some are considerably hotter than others.

If you’re using something very hot, start with less.

You can add heat.

Taking it back out is considerably more difficult.

What Kind Of Potatoes Work Best?

I use small baby white potatoes and cut them in half.

They’re perfect because they’re small enough to become tender during the relatively short roasting time, but you still get those creamy potato centers and browned edges.

Baby gold potatoes would also be delicious.

You could use baby red potatoes too.

The important thing is keeping the pieces approximately the same size.

If some potatoes are tiny and others are enormous, they aren’t going to finish cooking at the same time.

Do I Have To Peel The Potatoes?

No.

That’s another reason I like baby potatoes here.

Give them a good wash, dry them, cut them in half, and they’re ready.

The skins add texture and help those potatoes hold together once everything gets tossed with the firecracker sauce.

And more importantly, I don’t have to stand there peeling two pounds of tiny potatoes.

The Pan Matters

I originally made this in a 9×13-inch casserole dish, and I like using it because the deeper sides help contain all that firecracker sauce at the end.

But there is a little balancing act here.

You want the ingredients close enough that the sauce can coat everything.

You do NOT want to pack the potatoes into the dish so tightly that they steam instead of roast.

If you’re doubling the recipe, don’t force four pounds of potatoes into the same 9×13-inch pan.

Use two pans.

Give those potatoes some room.

Casserole Dish Or Sheet Pan?

You can use either.

A sheet pan gives the ingredients more surface area and can encourage additional browning.

The casserole dish keeps everything a little more contained and lets that firecracker sauce pool around the sausage and potatoes during the final few minutes.

I happen to like the casserole dish for this particular recipe.

If you’re using a sheet pan, make sure it has a rim.

Otherwise the introduction of melted butter and hot sauce may become far more exciting than this dinner needs to be.

Don’t Skip Stirring

Give everything a stir once or twice during the initial roasting time.

The pieces touching the hot pan will naturally brown faster.

Stirring exposes new surfaces to the pan and helps the potatoes, sausage, and onions cook more evenly.

Then when you add the firecracker sauce, toss everything again so it isn’t just sitting on the top layer.

You want sauce on ALL of it.

How Do I Know The Potatoes Are Done?

Don’t rely only on the clock.

After approximately 30 minutes, stick a fork or small knife into one of the larger potato halves.

It should slide in easily.

You also want to see browned edges on the potatoes, some color on the sausage, and softened, caramelized onion.

If the potatoes are still firm, give them more time before adding your sauce.

Potatoes do not care what the recipe timer says.

Make It For A Crowd

This is one of the reasons I originally thought it was such a good Fourth of July recipe.

It scales beautifully.

For a double batch, use:

• 4 pounds baby potatoes
• Two 14-ounce packages smoked sausage
• 2 medium sweet onions
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the doubled firecracker sauce:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Most importantly, divide the double batch between two pans.

If you overcrowd one pan, the potatoes are going to steam.

For a triple batch, simply triple the ingredients and use enough pans to give everything room to roast.

Make It Ahead And Keep It Warm

This is probably how I would handle the recipe for a party.

Make the entire recipe in the oven.

Let the potatoes get tender and browned.

Let the sausage brown.

Add your firecracker sauce and finish it in the oven.

THEN transfer everything to a slow cooker and set it to WARM.

Give it an occasional stir so that buttery sauce gets redistributed.

This frees up your oven and gives everyone a hot serving whenever they’re ready to eat.

I prefer this party method over cooking the entire recipe in the slow cooker because you get that oven-roasted texture first.

Can I Cook It In The Slow Cooker?

Yes, although the texture will be different.

Add the potatoes, sausage, onions, olive oil, and seasonings to your slow cooker.

Cook on LOW for approximately 5 to 6 hours or HIGH for approximately 3 to 4 hours, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Add the prepared firecracker sauce during the final 20 to 30 minutes.

If you want some of the browning you get from the oven version, transfer everything to a sheet pan when it’s finished and broil it briefly.

Personally, for a party, I prefer oven first and slow cooker for holding.

That gives you the best of both worlds.

Make It Vegetarian

Leave out the sausage.

That’s it.

I would add some additional potatoes and onions to compensate for the missing sausage.

You could also add a plant-based smoked sausage if you have one you like.

The firecracker sauce is delicious on roasted potatoes by itself, so this also works as a sweet and spicy potato side dish for burgers, veggie burgers, or grilled vegetables.

What Else Could I Add?

This recipe is very forgiving.

If you want to bulk it up or clean out the vegetable drawer, you could experiment with:

• Bell peppers
• Mushrooms
• Zucchini
• Corn
• Green beans

Just remember that different vegetables cook at different rates.

Something watery and quick-cooking like zucchini doesn’t necessarily need to roast for as long as a potato.

Add quicker-cooking vegetables later so they don’t turn to mush.

What To Serve With Firecracker Sausage And Potatoes

This can be dinner all by itself, but it also fits perfectly into a summer cookout.

I especially like it with baked beans and cold salads because they balance the warm, spicy potatoes and sausage. Click each image for the recipe.

Leftovers Are Really Good

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

The firecracker sauce will firm up because it contains butter.

That is completely normal.

Once everything is reheated, the butter melts and coats the potatoes and sausage again.

How To Reheat Firecracker Sausage And Potatoes

For the best texture, I prefer reheating leftovers in the oven or in a skillet.

The microwave is fine when you’re hungry and don’t particularly care about crispy potatoes.

For a larger amount, put everything in a covered baking dish and warm it gently. Uncover toward the end if you want to bring back some of the browned edges.

For one or two servings, add them to a skillet over medium-low heat and let everything warm through.

If the leftovers seem dry, add a tiny splash of water or a little extra butter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Firecracker Sausage And Potatoes Very Spicy?

It has some heat, especially when made with jalapeño cheddar sausage, hot sauce, and red pepper flakes. You can easily reduce all three.

What Sausage Can I Substitute?

Regular smoked sausage, kielbasa, cheddar sausage, andouille, turkey smoked sausage, or an appropriate chicken sausage can work.

Can I Use Regular Potatoes?

Yes. Cut them into small, evenly sized pieces so they’ll cook in approximately the same amount of time as baby potatoes.

Can I Make It Ahead?

Yes. Make the recipe in the oven and reheat it later, or transfer the finished dish to a slow cooker on WARM for a party.

Can I Double It?

Absolutely. Use two baking dishes or sheet pans so the potatoes aren’t overcrowded.

Can I Make It Less Spicy?

Use regular smoked sausage, reduce the hot sauce, and omit the red pepper flakes.

Can I Make It Spicier?

Add more hot sauce, crushed red pepper, or a little cayenne.

Can I Make It In A Slow Cooker?

Yes, but the potatoes and sausage won’t develop quite the same roasted texture. For parties, my preference is to cook it in the oven and then use the slow cooker to keep it warm.

Why Do You Add The Firecracker Sauce At The End?

Roasting the potatoes, sausage, and onions first allows them to brown. The sauce is added toward the end so it can coat those browned ingredients and become slightly sticky without interfering with the initial roasting.

Can I Use A Sheet Pan?

Yes. Use a rimmed sheet pan so the sauce doesn’t run off the edges.

A One-Pan Dinner Worth Keeping

I originally made this with Fourth of July at our U.P. lake house in mind, but there is no reason to save it for summer.

This would be just as good on a cool fall night, for football Sunday, or on one of those weeknights when you want to put one pan in the oven and be done with dinner.

It’s potatoes and smoked sausage, which are already pretty hard to mess up.

Then you cover them in butter, hot sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and Worcestershire.

At that point, we’re really just stacking the deck in our favor.