Baked Potatoes with Sausage and Arugula Sauce

A loves any recipe that includes sausage, but I've found that my sausage recipes are lacking in the creativity department. However, when I saw this recipe on Giada at Home last week, I knew that this would be something that she would love and would be easy to make as well. I was right. The longest part of this recipe was baking the potatoes, but the rest was wicked fast and easy. And...it's absolutely delicious!!

You need:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed or chopped
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
1 1/2 cups tomato-basil sauce
3 cups baby arugula or spinach leaves
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 baked russet potatoes, 8 to 10 ounces each
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the sausage and break up the meat. Cook until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the sauce and arugula. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the arugula has wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until the mixture forms a creamy sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut a slit in the top of each baked potato and gently squeeze the ends to form an opening in the top. Spoon the sausage sauce into each potato. Garnish with parsley.