Name: Cast Iron Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground pork; 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried; 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 garlic clove , minced; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

Premade frozen store-bought breakfast sausage patties commit a multitude of sins: too sweet or too salty, too bland or too highly seasoned, too greasy. Not to mention most varieties contain a number of additives, fillers, and preservatives. By making our own, we could ensure great flavor and use high-quality ingredients. We started by flavoring ground pork with classic breakfast sausage flavors: garlic, thyme, and sage, plus cayenne for a touch of heat. One tablespoon of maple syrup gently sweetened the patties. Just a single tablespoon of oil added to a preheated cast-iron skillet ensured that our breakfast sausage would develop a nice crust and also helped avoid burning and sticking—after getting a great sear, the last thing we wanted was to leave that good flavor stuck to the pan.

Before You Begin

Avoid lean or extra-lean ground pork; it makes the sausage dry, crumbly, and less flavorful.

Instructions

Using your hands, gently mix pork, sage, maple syrup, thyme, pepper, salt, garlic, and cayenne until well combined. Divide meat mixture into 12 lightly packed balls, then gently flatten into 3-inch patties, about ½ inch thick. (Patties can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Heat 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until just smoking. Brown half of patties, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer patties to paper towel–lined plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and patties. Serve.