Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage

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Making your own breakfast sausage couldn’t be easier.  And it’s fast, too.  All you need is a pound of ground turkey or chicken, a few spices, and you’re on your way to delicious sausage that is a lot leaner and a lot better for you.  Making it yourself means there are no preservatives and a lot less sodium or added sugar.  Plus, you can choose to buy organic meat if you want, and still save money. One pound of ground meat makes 12 patties, which means these cost less then half of the pre-made store variety.

For the best flavor, make sure to use ground meat that is a mix of light and dark meat.  If you are uncertain about the seasonings, you can make a test patty to cook and taste, to see if you need to add more salt or spices.  I used the container the ground meat came in to mix the meat and seasonings, which was great because it meant no clean up.  I covered it with plastic wrap and refrigerated it overnight and then made the sausages the next morning, but you could make your sausages right before you cook them if you want.

There was a recipe for DIY Breakfast Sausage in this month’s issue of Cooking Light.  They used a mixture of half pork and half turkey, but since my family is already partial to eating sausage made from just chicken or turkey, I thought I’d omit the pork and give it a try. I also reduced the amount of maple syrup and used garlic powder in place of the fresh garlic in their recipe.  Fresh sage wasn’t a problem, because I have a hardy bunch of it growing in the garden that seems to strive in spite of all the erratic weather we’ve been having.  I did, however, use dried thyme.  I made two batches, one with chicken, and one with turkey, and while they were both really good, we thought the turkey was the winner.   You can do what I did and make two batches and decide for yourself.

Cooked patties can be frozen, evenly spaced in a single layer, on a baking sheet.  Transfer these to a zip-top bag and store in your freezer for quick reheating in a warm oven or the microwave (use 50% power).  If you have kids, this is a fun, easy recipe to make on the weekend that will pay off in a jump start for those busy mornings during the week.

Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage

• 1 lb. ground turkey or chicken, white and dark meat mix
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or generous grind of fresh black pepper
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• olive oil, or olive oil spray, for pan

Combine all ingredients except olive oil and mix until just blended.  Shape into patties.

Lightly coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with olive oil and heat over medium to medium-high heat.  Add patties to pan, several at a time, being careful not to crowd.  Cook several minutes, until patties are browned and release easily when turned.  Continue to cook until other side browns and patties are cooked throughout.

adapted from Easy, Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe, Cooking Light, March 2017