Can one ever have too many breakfast sandwich recipes? The answer is an unequivocal, hell no. A sweet sausage patty with a fried, poached or scrambled egg and a slice of yellow American cheese served on thick-sliced Texas-type toast, a gnarly bagel, a craggy-edged nook-and-crannied English muffin, or a flaky buttery biscuit is one of my year-round favorite ways to start the day. It's safe to assume it's a favorite with most of America too, as all breakfast-all-day drive-through fast-food joints and all-night sit-down-at-the-counter diners serve some version of a sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. It's hard to compete with its completeness.
That said, as a big fan of sweet and savory combinations, when Fall arrives, I like to change mine up a bit by placing my sausage, egg and cheese on a cinnamon-raisin bagel (sometimes a cinnamon-raisin English muffin) with a slice of cheddar-Jack, sautéed apple slices and a slather of apple butter. Topped with a few baby arugula leaves, it's downright impressive, gourmet fare. Yes, it does take a little extra-time to "do this sandwich up right". Tick-tock, yawn and wake up 10-15 minutes earlier on days when you're making them, but, if it's breakfast for dinner you wish to celebrate, this'll take less time than a full-blown meal. Either way, this is worth the effort.
For 4 sandwiches:
4 high-quality New York-style same-day-baked cinnamon-raisin bagels, or English muffins
1 pound sweet sausage, divided into 4, 4-ounce portions
1 apple, cored and thinly-sliced horizontally
4 jumbo eggs
8 slices yellow cheddar or cheddar-Jack cheese
4 tablespoons apple butter
40-48 baby arugula leaves
~Step 1. Divide the pound of sausage into four equal parts, 4 ounces each. Pat and press each portion into a 4 1/2" round disc, placing the sausage patties, slightly-overlapping in a 10" nonstick skillet as you form them. Over medium- medium-high heat, fry the patties until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, turning only once, 5-6 minutes per side. Using a spatula transfer patties to a paper towel lined plate. Turn heat off.
~Step 2. Using an apple corer, remove core from apple. Slice a small portion of the top and bottom of the apple off. Cut the rest into 8 discs, about 1/4" thick. Over medium- medium-high heat, sauté the apple slices in the sausage drippings, 45-60 seconds per side. Remove apples from pan drippings and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Set aside.
~Step 3. Crack eggs into hot skillet of remaining drippings. Over medium- medium-high heat, fry eggs to desired doneness -- soft and runny centers, or semi-firm centers, your choice. Cover skillet and remove from heat.
~Step 4. Lightly-toast the cinnamon-raisin bagels. To assemble the sandwiches, on each of four plates, place two slices of cheese on the bottom half of each bagel. Slather 1 tablespoon apple butter atop the cheese slices. Place two apple slices atop the apple butter, followed by a sausage patty and an egg. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in microwave to melt the cheese, about 30 seconds. Remove plastic wrap and garnish each with 10-12 arugula leaves. Place top on sandwich and serve ASAP.
Place the top on each sandwich & slice it in half:
Enjoy each & every apple-buttery applicious bite of Fall:
Got room for the other half? You can bet I do:
Sausage & Egg w/Cheddar, Apple & Apple Butter: Recipe yields 4 hearty breakfast sandwiches.
Special Equipment List: kitchen scale; 10" nonstick skillet w/lid; spatula; paper towels; apple corer; cutting board; chef's knife; toaster or toaster oven; plastic wrap
Cook's Note: Can one ever have too many grilled cheese-type sandwich recipes? The answer is an unequivocal no. High-quality, super-thin-sliced deli-ham on caraway-seeded rye is one of my favorite sandwiches. Crispy, thin-sliced apples with a chunk of white or yellow cheddar cheese is one of my favorite snacks. For another one of my perfect-for-Fall sandwiches, try my ~ Grilled Ham-on-Rye w/Cheddar, Apple and Arugula ~.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2019)
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