Make Your Own Sausage

If you buy sausage in the tubes like J.C. Potter or Jimmy Dean, etc. then you’re getting a lot of fat and other ingredients that you probably wouldn’t add yourself. You can make your own and control the amount of fat and avoid stuff like corn syrup, sugar and MSG. The following version here I make using ground dark turkey meat. Because of this, I don’t add oil, but put a little bit in the pan when I’m frying it up. I’ve used ground white turkey meat and when I do that, I add about a tablespoon of oil. You can also use ground pork for this or any other ground meat.

Also, when I’m in the mood for breakfast sausage, I add a tiny bit of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon (just a tiny bit of each) and then some maple syrup. I also omit the red pepper. You can experiment, though, to find the right combination of spices for you. That’s part of the fun.

We use this in all kinds of stuff — dirty rice, spaghetti, lasagna, queso dip, red beans and rice.

• 1 pound ground meat (turkey, chicken or pork work great)
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1 tablespoon oil (again, if you use dark meat, may not need much oil)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

1. Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for one hour. (Can be cooked immediately but best to let the flavors mingle together a bit.)
2. Shape into patties or links and fry 2-3 minutes on each side until done or fry loose meat for use in recipes. Browns nicely.