Roasted Peppers & Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Chorizo

This amazing salad of roasted peppers and sweet potatoes, with Spanish chorizo, pan fried in good olive oil until crispy, gives a good idea of the simple meals we cook over the weekends. Just add in a cheese plate or two, lots of wine and beer, though not for me just yet – I’m about a week shy of 7 months pregnant, so soon! – and good breakfasts, all inspired by the fresh veggies, fruits and treats John Shea and I bring home from the farmer’s market on Fridays. I wish you could be sitting at our farm table with us! And then running around on the beach. Cam built us multiple fires while it rained Saturday, which led to a gorgeous first day of March. March!! Are you also trying to wrap your head around how fast time is moving right now?

Sometimes we eat this with just veggies and chorizo, but the arugula adds a nice peppery flavor and beautiful color. I also sometimes throw the veggies in a big saute pan with the chorizo and cook it all together in one big hash, which was first created by my friend Ashy from our camping trip last September in Yosemite! Whether you roast the vegetables and toss them with the pan fried chorizo, or cook them altogether, this is a wonderful and quick dish with great flavor. Our sweet muffin John Shea just kept eating more and more and more of this.

Roasted Peppers & Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Chorizo
{serves 2-3}

4-6 Italian or bell peppers (both are great!), rinsed and roughly sliced
2-3 sweet potatoes, rinsed and roughly sliced
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, roughly sliced
1 onion, roughly sliced (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, roughly and finely sliced
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt 
2 big handfuls of arugula

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the peppers and sweet potatoes (and onion if using, this time I didn’t have one!) with a drizzle of EVOO and a generous pinch of sea salt. Spread the veggies in a roasting dish or on baking sheet and roast for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned.

During the last ten minutes, heat a generous glug of EVOO over medium heat in a saute pan and add in the chorizo, tossing it as needed to keep it from burning. It will turn a nice dark color and begin to get crispy while also adding incredible flavor to the olive oil as it cooks. Just before the veggies and chorizo are done, add the garlic to the pan. As soon as the garlic begins to color, remove the pan from the heat.

Place the vegetables on a dish and scoop the chorizo and garlic on top, reserving the olive oil in the pan. Toss in the arugula and drizzle as much of the reserved olive oil on top as you would like. If there is any leftover (I have to hide some before we eat it to save any!) it’s delicious to add the next morning to scrambled eggs with some fresh basil on top!