Louie's-style Hash Browns

Yes, I know perfectly well that these bear little or no resemblance to whatever you grew up calling hash browns. Shut up.

Four large baking potatoes (I prefer russets)
One large sweet onion, diced
Four-six cloves garlic, minced
1 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed
Olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne
Cheddar cheese

Scrub spuds, cut into large chunks. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in deep saucepan or soup pot. Cook onion over medium heat with a pinch of salt until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic, cook until fragrant, maybe thirty seconds. Add spuds, tossing to coat with onions.

Sprinkle spuds with 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. I use Tony Chacherie's more-spice-less-salt here-- it's pretty much the only reason to keep that red can on-hand, but it's what was on the tables at Louie's. It's not particularly hot, and anyway the starchy potatoes nix most of the cayenne.

Pinch off small chunks of sausage and drop 'em into the pot. Stir again to distribute. Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Let that whole mess cook down to desired level of spud-doneness; traditionally, two steps above mush. Usually twenty minutes will do it, just make sure your sausage is cooked through. Adjust seasonings.

The cooks at Louie's (oh yeah, Louie's was the postpub diner near my college campus) just kept a huge mountain of this smoking away on the grill 24-7, adding fresh ingredients and tossing the raw stuff underneath, like an edible compost heap. Except the sausage, that was my addition. Grated cheese is extra, 50 cents. Serve it up.

- Carla Speed McNeil