Maple and Sage Pork Sausage Patties

Family Meal, Freezes Well

It’s hard to beat the aroma of homemade pork sausage frying on the stove, urging all to come and eat a great breakfast. Making the patties couldn’t be easier, and the only equipment needed is a sharp knife and your trusty food processor. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have homemade sausage that will taste better than almost any storebought version you can find. Besides breakfasts, you can use your sausages for turkey stuffing or for a quick sandwich for lunch. It’s also excellent in Cassoulet.  I like the hint of sweetness provided by maple sugar. If you can’t find maple in sugar form, use real maple syrup. If you can get Grade B maple syrup, which is darker and more intensely flavored, all the better. Do seek out the real thing, though. The surprising fact about real versus imitation maple flavoring is that the genuine article has a much more subtle flavor that isn’t overly sweet. Fenugreek brings out the flavors of the maple, but if you can’t find it, leave it out or substitute ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Makes 3½ pounds; serves 4 to 6 with 2 pounds left over to freeze

INGREDIENTS:

• 2¼ pounds boneless Boston butt (pork shoulder butt), cut into 1-inch cubes
• ¾ pound pork fatback (see Cook’s Notes), cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon maple sugar or ¼ cup real maple syrup (I use Grade B)
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage or ¾ teaspoon rubbed
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground fenugreek or ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ cup cold water (if using maple syrup, reduce the water to 2 tablespoons)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place half the cubed pork and half the fat in a food processor. Process with short pulses until the mixture has a coarse texture, with each particle about ⅜ inch in diameter. Scrape into a large bowl and repeat with the remaining meat and fat.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients to the meat mixture plus 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Using clean hands, knead and squeeze the meat until everything is well blended. Cook a small patty in a small skillet until done and taste for salt, pepper, and other seasonings; adjust as necessary. ( If you have time, wrap the sausage meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days so the flavors develop, or refrigerate what you will use in 2 days and freeze the rest in 2 or 3 small zipper-lock bags; it will keep for 3 months.)
3. When you are ready to cook the sausage, form 1½ pounds of the mixture into 8 to 12 oval patties, about ½ inch thick. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the patties, without crowding. You may need to cook them in 2 batches. Fry for 5 to 6 minutes, or until nicely browned. Flip and fry for 5 minutes more, or until the centers are faintly pink or gray. Drain the patties on paper towels. You can keep them warm in a low (200°F) oven. Arrange on a serving platter and serve.

ALTERNATIVE CUTS:

• Boneless country-style ribs, boneless country-style ribs cut from the shoulder, or boneless blade-end pork loin.

COOK’S NOTES:

• Fatback is not easily found in most supermarkets or butcher shops. Ask for fat trimmings from the shoulder or loin, or trim fat from your own pork roasts and bag and freeze it until you have enough to make a batch of sausage.
• When freezing the uncooked sausage, portion it into amounts big enough for breakfast.
• Dried fruits and berries, such as dried cranberries, dried tart cherries, dried blueberries, dried apples, chopped dried apricots, chopped pitted prunes, raisins, and dried currants go well with this sausage mixture. Add ½ cup or more to suit your taste.