Turkey & Sage Sausages

A couple weeks ago I got the weird idea that I wanted to make my own sausage. Just patties, dealing with casings and grinding my own meat is far too gross and far too much work for brunch. I had almost forgotten about my plan, until it came time to make Sunday brunch this past weekend. Since I had a little extra time, I figured why not. Making sausage this way is really just like making mini-burgers, which made these a quick and easy addition to brunch.

I was really happy I ended up using sweet Italian sausage for this. I feel like they would have been super, super bland without the extra Italian flavors. I thought that the mustard and sage really complemented each other. I think that this could be made with plain ground chicken or turkey, but you would definitely need to add a lot more seasoning if using ‘plain’ ground meat.

Turkey & Sage Sausages
Adapted from Martha Stewart.

• 1 1/4 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage, removed from casings
• 1 finely chopped shallot
• 3 medium garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Using 2 forks, gently combine turkey, shallot, garlic, sage, carrot, mustard, salt, and pepper. Loosely shape mixture into 2-inch patties (about 1/2 inch thick), being careful to not overwork. Place sausage patties on a baking sheet.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook sausage patties until cooked through and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add more oil to skillet between batches as needed.