Italian Sausage for the week
- Yield 4 servings
- Prep 5 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
Italian Sausage for the week sits in the Breakfast section of Regbie. The card serves 4 servings. The amounts and the method are both written on this page.
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
- 1½ teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 pound ground pork, or ground turkey, chicken, or beef
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
Method
In a small skillet over a medium burner, toast the fennel seeds, shaking occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Move the toasted fennel seeds to a plate to cool to room temperature.
Crush the toasted fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or place them in a closed ziptop bag and bash them with a heavy object to crack the seeds.
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, applesauce, salt, toasted fennel seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and dried oregano.
Use your hands to combine everything really well until the pork is sticky and tacky. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, you can mix the ingredients in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Form a tiny patty and cook it in the microwave (for about 30 seconds on high) or fry it in a skillet. Taste it for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Lid the sausage and chill in the fridge for at least one hour and up to 2 days. You can also freeze the sausage mixture for up to 2 months.
You can use this meat in any recipe that asks for bulk Italian sausage or form it into patties and fry them up!
Kitchen notes
- Tips for the best Italian sausage: Don’t skip toasting the fennel seeds!
- The toasted fennel is the reason Italian sausage tastes so distinctive.
- Also, make sure you crush the toasted seeds to release the most flavor.
