Name: Scrapple
Total time: 4 h 20 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 small onion , chopped fine; 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage; 1 teaspoon ground sage; 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel; 3 cups water; 1 cup yellow cornmeal; 1 1/4 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

To simplify our recipe for scrapple, we use bulk breakfast sausage, sautéed with onions, butter, sage, and fennel, as the base. Cornmeal thickens the mixture before it’s transferred to a loaf pan to cool and set up. After chilling, slices of our meaty scrapple can be fried up in a skillet until crispy and golden.

Before You Begin

Serve for breakfast with maple syrup or ketchup. To loosen the scrapple before turning it out, run a knife around its edge and briefly set the loaf pan in hot water.

Instructions

Grease 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add sausage, sage, and fennel and cook, breaking sausage into small pieces with spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Add water. Whisk in cornmeal, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened and mixture pulls away from sides of pot, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Scrape mixture into prepared pan. Smooth top and tap firmly on counter. Let cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.

To serve, turn out scrapple onto cutting board and slice into 12 equal pieces. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add 6 scrapple slices and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining scrapple. Serve.