Smoky Maple Breakfast Sausage
“...I think we fear the idea of personal change because we think that we have to sacrifice something, to give something up. But human beings, at our best, are so inventive and creative and ingenious. And I think that when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles, we can create, develop and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and to the environment.”
- Joaquin Phoenix, in his moving 2020 Oscars Acceptance Speech
Like many nations amidst the crisis of WWII, Britain faced a devastating food shortage which led to severe rationing. The Ministry of Food distributed leaflets printed with inventive recipes to aid citizens in facing the challenges this presented. Some wartime recipes made sausage patties using oatmeal and seasonings to stretch rations and recreate a satisfying staple food. Such recipes meant people didn’t have to give up foods they loved entirely.
Now, we too face myriad crises—climate, animal rights, and human rights issues to name a few—and many of us are seeking personal changes out of compassion. The good news? We can make positive changes to our impact on the planet, animals, and each other while still eating brunch with joy. We can all do our part! We can fight for a more compassionate world and still enjoy staple foods thanks to the inventive nature of humanity. And we can look to the ingenuity of generations who’ve weathered hard times before us for inspiration. (Brits in WWII also planted edible gardens to combat shortages—something we can do today to benefit our world and communities, too!)
This recipe is inspired by but not based on historic oat sausage recipes. Oats, walnuts, and potatoes combine to provide a meaty texture without any additional binders. Smoked paprika, maple syrup, and liquid smoke mingle to create the smoky-sweet flavor of classic breakfast patties. Cumin and oregano are valuable tools in creating deep and vibrant layers of flavor.
We like to make a batch of these patties on Sunday as breakfast prep for weekday mornings! They reheat well on the stove or in the microwave and go great with a slice of vegan cheese on an English muffin. Any breakfast sandwich is a good home for this recipe—or any breakfast plate, for that matter.
The whole thing is easy and only takes a few steps. Waiting for the dough to sit and the potatoes to boil will take longer than anything else. Luckily that gives you time to multi-task and prepare other brunch dishes to go along with the sausage, or just sip your coffee and peruse your news feed. Maybe you’ll share a meme. Maybe you’ll share this recipe… Maybe for just a moment you will be a wartime Ministry of Food, and your internet friends will be the citizens with their leaflets, and we will all be doing our part and winning the war (for animals/for an easy brunch) together.
Tips & Info
Quick-cook oats are rolled oats that have been cut or rolled smaller and par-cooked to speed up their preparation time. If you use other, longer-cooking oats: Let them sit between steps 1 and 2 longer (15-20 minutes total) for extra hydration. This will ensure you don’t end up with undercooked oats in the final product.
Can the dough be made ahead? Sure, but only a by day or two. In my (limited) make-ahead testing, I found it difficult to work with and cook through properly beyond that. We recommend reheating cooked patties instead! Pre-cook the sausage patties, refrigerate them, and then reheat them in a pan (over medium heat with a light sprinkle of water until warm through and crisp on the outside) when you want to serve them.
If your pan gets too hot, your patties may end up undercooked inside even though they look done outside. Keep the heat at medium, adjusting as needed, to ensure it cooks through. It also helps to avoid forming overly thick patties.
Tweak seasonings to your preference. No liquid smoke? That’s alright, just toss an extra pinch of smoked paprika in there. Sage would be a great herb to swap in. Omit maple syrup for a plain, classic American breakfast sausage.
Can’t do walnuts? Swap them with more oats or some finely minced sunflower seeds.
Make a full brunch spread! Find a guide to complimentary recipes and tips on how to put it all together here.
Breakfast Sausage
Power Plant | David Griffin-Luna | Feb 14th, 2020
Time: 25-30 minutes (35-40 if cooking in two batches) | Serving: Makes ~8 2oz (1/8lb) sausage patties
Equipment:
Ingredients:
Liquids
Instructions:
1) Wash the potatoes and, if they're larger than 3 inches across, cut them into 3-inch "cubes." Place them in a small saucepan, submerging them in by about an inch of water, Bring to boil over high heat. While the potatoes cook, combine everything else in a big mixing bowl adding the liquids last. Mix ingredients thoroughly and let them sit for 5-10 minutes so oats can hydrate somewhat (10-15 minutes if using longer-cooking rolled oats).2) Once the potatoes are fork-tender and mashable, drain and mash them. Add the mashed potatoes to the bowl with the other ingredients. Thoroughly mash or mix potatoes into the mixture, forming the final dough. It should resemble the texture of ground breakfast sausage and feel form-able.
- This recipe makes about 1lb of sausage “dough,” meaning you can make 8 evenly-sized 2oz patties (usually 2-3 batches in a single skilelt, depending on size). If you don’t have a kitchen scale, 2oz of this dough is roughly ¼ cup. (That said, a kitchen scale is one of the best investments you can make for your kitchen!)
- The dough is sticky! You can give your tools and hands a rinse in cool water periodically to make handling the dough easier.
- We like to form the final patty shape as we go, dividing the dough into 2oz balls beforehand and flattening them into a patty when ready to add to the pan. If you prefer to form all your patties before cooking, now’s a good time to do it!
4) Serve on their own, on a sandwich, with hot sauce… You name it!