Breakfast Sausage and Sausage and Egg Non-McMuffins

Friends always found it strange that I could be so into my food yet love McDonalds.  To me it didn't seem strange as those muffins tasted damn good but others thought I must have some kind of food snobbery to go with my interest.  Over the years I've met a lot of food bloggers though and found it's far from uncommon for us to indulge in what some might think of as low-grade food, whether it's a McDonalds or talk of a Chicken Cottage within 10 minutes of eating at one of London's hottest new restaurant openings. 

At the end of the day though I think a lot of us who choose to write about food are just, deep-down, gluttons.  We plain and simply really enjoy eating. That may lead us, as in my case, to continually search the world's cuisines for something new and tasty but as long as we're eating we're pretty happy, even if it is mass-produced, salt & fat laden and from a huge corporation who lures kids into stores with free toys - all that is forgotten with the taste of porkiness & faint sage with each bite.

You may wonder why you would want to recreate fast food at home but I can think of three reasons:

 1) You don't have to go to McDonalds - maybe you don't live 100m from one like I do, maybe you do but you're too hungover to leave the house or maybe you just don't like the place and don't want to give them any money.

2) You get to have a runny yolk in your egg - as much as I love the McDonald's offering, moving from chalky to runny on the yolk can only be a good thing.

3) You can use the leftover patties to knock up biscuits with sausage gravy - if you haven't tried this dish then it's well worth it, especially if you want to eat your weekly fat content in the first meal of the day.  Just don't do it too often.

The following recipe is for the sausage, to turn it into a Sausage and Egg Non-McMuffin just buy English muffins, eggs and some cheese slices.  You don't have to cook the egg in a chef's ring, or wrap your finished non-McMuffin in a sheet of greaseproof paper, but why do things by halves?

Breakfast Sausage Recipe

Makes 6 patties

500gr pork mince

1 ts salt

3/4 ts black peppercorns

1/2 ts dried sage

1/2 ts dried thyme

1/2 ts chili flakes

1/8 of a nutmeg

1 ts sugar

Method

This couldn't be much simpler, just place everything bar the pork into a mortar and pestle it till the pepper is ground.

Mix into the pork until well combined.

Shape into 6 patties.  Grill or fry for 2-3 mins a side.

As I tend to eat 1 or 2 at a time I stack the rest with greaseproof paper between and freeze.  Obviously do this before cooking.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Helen]

Couldn't agree more. I also love Maccy D's. I love the sausage and egg McMuff, the big mac and often find it hard to walk past a MD's without ducking in for a cheeseburger which is inhaled in two bites. Food snobbery is a terrible thing. Bring on the guilty pleasure I say. Yours looks very much the real thing! It's that salty herbyness, isn't it. the sugar as well - essential.

[Lizzie]

Awesome. I am a huge fan of Maccy D's, even if it does make me feel dirty after a feast there. I don't live near a branch (I know! No Maccy D's in New Cross?!) so this looks like just the ticket.

[Su-Lin]

Tee hee. I had KFC the other day.

Will give this a go - I tried "making" Italian sausage last week to go into a pasta sauce but I didn't salt it enough. Boo.

[gourmet traveller]

My only problem with McMuffins is that McDs stop selling them after 1030ish and I'm almost never awake that early when I need one most - after a big night out. Hawksmoor of course does an excellent version but they're all the way across town.

Love that yours is so simple that I'd even be able to throw it together hungover. Bookmarked!

[Turan]

Amen to that Josh. If they could only get the yolk to run I would have one every week. I used to go for Mc Donalds breakfast with my daughter on our way to Gliding on a Saturday morning and the breakfast sausage muffin with egg was the highlight for me. It's the only thing from Mc D's that is remotely worth a second look. Nice one! happy memories..

[Joshua Armstrong]

Helen - my groups of friends talk of a TC, otherwise known as the tactical cheeseburger, grabbed quickly to help soak up prior or future drink consumption.

Lizzie - there's no shame in a McDs

Su Lin - Italian sausage is a good starting point for sausage making as frequently used without skin. Sausagemeat can take quite a bit of salt though, a lot of recipes go for 1.5%-2%, so 15gr to 20gr per kilo of meat.

GT - the 10.30am limit is a pain. I definitely need to give the Hawksmoor one a go, even if the cost will mean I don't do it too frequently.

Turan - definitely, the most I've managed there is a slightly translucent middle and that doesn't happen very often (and I've eaten more than my fare share of them)

[Tori (@ Eat-Tori)]

"I think a lot of us who choose to write about food are just, deep-down, gluttons"

So true. Well said!NB, love the touch of chilli in the patties- they look seriously good.

[Greedy Diva]

Great hangover recipe. Will keep it handy by the Nurofen. Cheers!

[Forager @ The Gourmet Forager]

Looks like the real deal! I love my food too - but have a weakness for McD's hash browns. Oh and on road trips, McDonalds is totally acceptable food.