California Avocado and Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches

Perfect for a hurried morning before school or work, these tasty breakfast sandwiches pair slices of ripe California Avocado with a homemade sausage patty infused with fall flavors. If you’ve never made sausage at home before, you simply must give this recipe a try. It’s so simple!

You start by mixing up one pound of ground pork with grated apple, onion, garlic, fresh herbs and spices. A splash of apple cider vinegar added at the end helps to balance the richness of the pork. The pork mix is then divided into four portions and formed into plump, round patties. And that’s it!  No need to fuss with casings and no special equipment needed.

Another benefit to making sausage at home is that you know exactly what’s going into it. There no preservatives or mystery ingredients here!  Grated apple and onion add sweetness to the mix while helping to keep the sausage nice and juicy. Chopped fresh sage and thyme provide a warm herbaceous note that just screams fall to me.

Normally you might find melted cheese on a breakfast sandwich, but here I’ve swapped in slices of ripe California Avocado. Dressed in lemon juice, salt and pepper, the rich slices are a source of healthy fat and plenty of nutrients to fuel a busy morning!

California Avocado and Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 apple, peeled
• ½ onion
• 1 ¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 lb. ground pork
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely grated or minced
• 1 tbsp. fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• ½ tsp. fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• ¼  tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 English muffins, split and toasted
• 1 ripe California Avocado, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
• ½  tbsp. lemon juice
• ¼ tsp. flaky sea salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• ½ cup baby arugula
• ¼ cup mayonnaise

Ingredients

1. Set 3 layers of paper towels on a work surface. Using the coarse side of a box grater, grate the entire apple until your reach the core on to the paper towels. 
2. Carefully grate the onion, starting with the flat side, on to the paper towel with the apple. Sprinkle with a little salt, then bring the corners of the paper towel up around the grated contents. Gently squeeze the bundle several times over the sink to release excess moisture.
3. Add ground pork to a large bowl along with 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, drained apple and onion, black pepper, garlic, sage, thyme, fennel seeds, cayenne and apple cider vinegar. Use a fork in a scraping and fluffing motion to combine the meat and flavorings. 
4. Divide the sausage in 4 parts and form each into 5-ounce patties. Place patties on a plate, cover and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour. 
5. Raw sausage can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
6. To make the sandwiches, warm butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the sausage patties. 
7. Cook until the sausage is golden on the outside and no longer pink inside (3 to 4 minutes per side). 
8. Once the sausages are cooked, stack up each sandwich as follows:  Bottom half of the English muffin, cooked sausage patty, 1/4 sliced avocado (seasoned with lemon juice, flaky sea salt and pepper), a layer of baby arugula, and finally the top half of English muffin spread with a little mayo.