Spicy Turkey Sweet Potato Gumbo

Ingredients

• 1  bay leaf 
• 14.5 ounce canned tomatoes diced canned
• 1 cup celery chopped
• 29 ounce chicken broth canned
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves dried
• 0.5 cup flour all-purpose
• 4  garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup bell pepper green chopped
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon oregano dried
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper sauce hot
• 1 pound turkey sausage links hot italian-style
• 2 cups sweet potatoes and into cubed peeled
• 1 pound turkey thigh meat boneless skinless trimmed cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 

Equipment

• pot
• spatula

Directions

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook and stir the turkey thigh pieces until browned and no longer pink in the middle, about 10 minutes. Set the turkey aside. In the same pot, place the sausage, and break into chunks with a spatula. Cook and stir the sausage until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir the onion, celery, and green pepper into the pot. Continue to cook and stir until the onions are translucent, about 5 more minutes.
3. Mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute; then stir in the flour. Cook and stir the mixture until the flour forms a coating on the sausage and vegetables and begins to brown, 5 to 8 more minutes.
4. Mix in the sweet potato, thyme, oregano, chicken broth, tomatoes, and bay leaf, and bring the gumbo to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often, until thickened and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cooked turkey and hot sauce, and simmer until the turkey is heated through. Discard the bay leaf before serving.