American Breakfast Sausage

Name: American Breakfast Sausage
Yield: makes 1 pound
Ingredients: 14 ounces ground pork; 2 ounces salt pork, fat only, minced; 3/4 teaspoon rubbed sage (not ground sage); 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram; Scant 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste, if needed

January 24, 2012

Breakfast sausage, in patties or links, is a staple of the great American breakfast plate. It’s an important player in the hearty, stoke-up-for-the-day meal that includes eggs, cooked anyway you’d like; toast or pancakes; and mugs of hot java. It is served on the road as early as 4 a.m. to truckers and workers off to the fields or factories. A bit later, it feeds tourists fueling up for a day’s adventure of skiing, mountain climbing, and other energetic activities. And on Sunday mornings, home-style cafes are filled with customers looking to splurge calories on a big breakfast out. But you don’t need to stop at breakfast when using this sausage. It also makes a delicious taco filling or pizza topping. As often as not, breakfast sausage is served in patties, but if you prefer links, you can stuff it into sheep casing.

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