My kids love breakfast sausage patties.  I was buying the Walmart brand of pre-packaged sausage patties, one pack plain, one pack maple flavored.  Then I got on the NT wagon and I discovered how full of “stuff” those sausage patties were.  I actually “lost” a package in the back of my freezer.  While cleaning the freezer, I found it, re-read the package, and promptly decided “I can make a better breakfast sausage than this!”.

Off to google and I found a Copy Cat recipe of Jimmy Dean’s breakfast sausage.  I bought the ingredients this morning while shopping and whipped up a double batch.  We “sampled” the sausage for lunch this morning with country eggs, homegrown tomatoes & cucumbers on the side.  Here’s the three recipes.  I’d give a link, but I found it on a message board, so nothing direct.

Top Secret Recipes version of Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage

Sage
16 ounces ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon MSG (of course, I omitted this, why add it?)

Hot (the version I made)
16 ounces ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon MSG (see above)

Maple (my next project)
16 ounces ground pork
3 tablespoons maple flavored syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon MSG (again, see above)

For all flavors, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Form the sausage into patties & cook in a skillet over medium heat until brown (I browned them in lard, yum!)

After I browned them, I placed them on a baking sheet and put it in the freezer to freeze.  This way I can put them in a ziploc bag and pull them out one at a time as needed for breakfast.

I loved the taste.  It really does taste like a “breakfast sausage”.  Next week, I’ll whip up a batch of Maple flavored as Rh really loves maple sausage (hmm, wonder why?  Sugar bug!)  The sky is really the limit on which flavorings you could use with the basic recipe.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays.