If you have some Creminelli sausage or salami your meal is off to a good start. (I mean it, really. Good for you for not compromising!) However, you are a few elements shy of a full meal. If your meal is going to be Italian, then those elements could easily be pasta with tomato sauce and oven-fried potatoes. Because those two things can complete any Italian meal, here are a few simple recipes to get you to your Italian feast.

Fresh and simple tomato sauce
5 fresh tomatoes
½ white or yellow onion, finely diced
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
Tomato paste (optional)

Boil 1-2 quarts of water in a sauce pan. Place the fresh tomatoes in a bowl or pan that allows them to sit side-to-side on the bottom of the container. Pour the boiling water over the fresh tomatoes covering them and leave them in the water for 3 minutes. Score the skin of each tomato to create peeling edges. Drain water and set aside.

Cover the bottom of a fry pan with the olive oil and turn on medium heat. Add the diced onion and stir occasionally until onion is almost clear, about 5 minutes. Peel the skin off of the tomatoes and dice them. Add the tomatoes, the salt and the pepper to the onions continuing to stir occasionally. Cover the pan and continue to simmer at medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until at desired consistency. Tomato paste can be added to thicken the sauce.

Serve over penne or spaghetti.

Tomato sauce repair
This will help you turn any bottle of tomato sauce into something worthy to be called Italian.

1 or more bottles of tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes (any brand, any flavor)
½ white or yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced or whole
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper
Fresh basil (optional)

Cover the bottom of your fry pan with the olive oil and turn on medium heat. Add the diced onion and stir occasionally until onion is almost clear, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. (Leave the garlic whole if you prefer to remove the cloves before serving.) Add tomato sauce and then salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh basil, if desired. Turn pan to high, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn pan to medium-low, opening the cover slightly, and simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Simmer as long as you can or until the acidy taste of the bottled sauce is gone. If the sauce has sugar in the ingredients it will take closer to 45 minutes. Add hot tap water as necessary to maintain desired consistency, but let simmer at least 5 minutes after last addition of water.

Serve over speghetti or linguine.

Italian oven potatoes
5 large potatoes
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place potatoes in a large Ziplock bag, seal bag and place in microwave for 5 minutes on high, or until soft. Let cool and then dice into ½ inch cubes or chunks leaving the skin on. Place diced potatoes into a large bowl and add olive oil, garlic, fresh sage, salt and pepper. Mix with hands to get consistent distribution of spices. Spread potato mix to a single layer onto cookie sheet covered with tin foil. Place cookie sheet in the over for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Herb Roasted Potatoes
1 24-ounce bag of mini potatoes
¼ cup best quality olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed bottled garlic or one clove minced garlic
½ teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried parsley or 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Scrub the potatoes, pat dry and cut into quarters. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, paprika and parsley. Add the potatoes and toss until evenly coated. Turn into a shallow baking dish. Roast at 400°F for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fork tender and golden. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Four servings. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

If you’re looking for something more check out both our Serving Salami and Preparing Sausage pages where we have gathered some recipes from around the web.