Make-Your-Own-in-a-Jiffy Sausage

I rarely have sausage on hand, and am not wild about using the fatty, nitrite-filled, grocery store brands anyway.  I also don't always need the chemical-preservative-free gourmet brands with the gourmet price tag.  If I need some breakfast patties, or browned and crumbled as an ingredient for our beloved Pumpkin-Sausage Soup, or as a topping for pizza, I mix up some on the spot.  I have at least a few cookbooks that offer recipes for making sausage, but the one whose taste I like best is from More than... Breakfasts...with Blender Batter Baking and Allergy Alternatives by Sue Gregg.

Breakfast Sausage

 adapted from More than...Breakfasts by Sue Gregg

Place 
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey or chicken
in a medium mixing bowl.





Add and mix in (with fork or clean hands)
3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon Sage
3/4 teaspoon Thyme (all the herbs are dried)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt                                                                                   
If you need an Italian-flavored sausage, also add
1 teaspoon fennel (I crush it a bit in my palms before adding)
1/2 teaspoon garlic (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)

Brunch patties

Form into 1/2 inch thick patties about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and fry over medium to medium-high heat until browned and cooked through for breakfast patties, or use in recipes as directed for raw sausage.                                                                            

Brown and crumbled for Pizza