Breakfast is my favorite meal.
Especially a wonderful, sunshine-filled, leisurely weekend breakfast, one where I can sit and savor the tastes in my pajamas and messy hair still and not one hastily gulped down between morning run, shower, and racing for the train.
It sets the tone for the day by energizing your body and your tastebuds.
And the best part is that even if your favorite breakfast things are not calorie friendly, you can mini-size them and make your portion control a whole lot easier, like we did with these little maple breakfast sausages and silver dollar pancakes.
The key to these babies, though, is beyond just sunshine and maple syrup – which we should all just agree right now are magic.
The key to these sausage patties is sage.
Sage is a fantastic thing. It’s related to mint and has been used in herbal remedies for centuries – but more importantly, it has a savory peppery flavor that works great with turkey, chicken, or pork.
This happy little sage plant has just gotten bigger and brighter since I brought it home and stuck it up in the kitchen window.
And I help it out by keeping it well pruned and using those pruned leaves in rolled and stuffed pork loin, to marinate pork chops, and now to pan fry maple sausage.
Because yum.
Maple Breakfast Sausage with Sage Leaves
Serves 4.
What You’ll Need:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp stone ground mustard
- 1 tsp french black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2-4 tbsp butter
- 8 sage leaves
How to Make It:
1. Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Wrap tightly in a cylinder with plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
2. Form into small patties about ¼ inch x 3 inch round.
3. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. When butter is melted, add sage leaves. Cook the sausage patties in the skillet for about 5 minutes each side.
5. Serve warm, and drizzle with maple syrup for an extra treat.
I used to think there was no better smell in the world than shallot being sauteed in savory butter. But now I think sage being sauteed in savory butter is close.
Either way, you need these little sausage patties in your life. Trust me on this. And a hefty dose of pure maple syrup to go along with it all, because you can never have enough maple syrup.
Here’s wishing you a happy morning!
