Sausage and Peppers on Baked Potato "Rolls"

The Italian side of my family serves sausage and peppers, on sub rolls, at every gathering. It's tradition. But I can tell you this: serving these sweet sausage meatballs and crisp-tender red peppers on baked potatoes is not traditional! Gluten-free or not, you will adore this recipe. And it's super simple to pull together. 

Sausage and Peppers on Baked Potato "Rolls"

2 Russet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt, preferably course or kosher
Black pepper
1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, removed from casing if purchased as links
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the potatoes clean. Coat the potatoes with olive oil and season with salt. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until tender. 
Meanwhile, shape the sausage into 16 meatballs. Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Keep the oven at 400 degrees. 
Saute the pepper slices in 2 teaspoons of olive oil (in a large skillet over medium-high heat) until crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper. 
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, halve them lengthwise. Cut through the middle of each half, almost through to the bottom, but not all the way through. Fill the potatoes with the meatballs, peppers and then top with the cheese. 
Transfer the potatoes to a baking pan and bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts. 

Serves 4