If I'm betting on a breakfast sandwich race, I'm always rooting for sausage, egg, and cheese. There's nothing wrong with a BEC, but something about a griddled sausage patty feels more substantial, and I appreciate the way it covers a roll from edge to edge. My enthusiasm for breakfast sandwiches was the theme of a New Year's Day party last year, in which guests were encouraged to wear pajamas while eating BA's Best Buttermilk Biscuits, slices of sheet pan frittata, and the best breakfast sausage recipe of all time.
Homemade sausage sounds complicated, but these patties can be made in five minutes (or less!) All you do is mix garlic powder, paprika, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and brown sugar into a pound of ground pork. Then portion it into flat rounds—I like to do this with a medium, spring-operated cookie scoop—and cook for two minutes per side. I used a giant electric griddle to make a dozen or so at a time, and you can make them small for a side dish or larger and flatter to perfectly fit on a breakfast sandwich.
Whether I'm making these for a party or for myself on a weekend, I always at least double the recipe and freeze some for brunch emergencies. I typically substitute dried sage for fresh (1 tsp. dried to 1 Tbsp. fresh, which is a 1:3 ratio) since it's already in my spice cupboard. Over the past few years, I've scribbled down or texted the recipe to dozens of friends. Next time I make it, I'm considering cooking it off like sausage crumbles for biscuits with sausage gravy, or chopping patties into pieces to top a breakfast pizza. It's one of the most low effort, highly impressive recipes I've ever made, and now you can run with it and pretend like it's been your signature recipe all along. Team sausage, egg, and cheese for life.