Chicken Apple Breakfast Sausage Rounds

Ok, so it’s October now. That means a switch back to cold weather cooking and eating, and in our house, that means a switch back to hot breakfasts. Like anybody else, our mornings are busy, and starting from scratch isn’t an option. But being me, I resent paying far too much for low-quality, assembly line fast food that’s been handled by heaven knows who. Now that I’m on chemo full time, I have to be super cautious about food handling. With no immune system, food-bourne illness is easier than ever to fall to. I also do not like mass produced food. I’ve worked in enough factories and quick-serves over the years to be very skeptical of food handling in any business that is more accountable to its shareholders than its customers. So pretty much all of them. The solution is just to do all of our cooking at home. I enjoy the process, and often spend lazy weekend days puttering in the kitchen just for the pleasure of it, and then portion pack and freeze, so we enjoy the convenience of prepared stuff, without all the unlisted chemical additives, and questionable practices.
Also since it’s October, pretty much everything I make for the next month or so will feature either apples or carrots, since both are abundant, all but free and either grown by me, or someone I know. (There’s a wonderful carrot soup recipe coming, just as soon as I remember what I did!) Because I cook in such quantities, and often for a crowd, I’m also always aware of using what’s in season and readily available, just because it costs less. I’d go broke feeding everyone, except I stockpile things as they’re available, and buy and cook in quantity.

These came about when DH accidentally bought ground chicken instead of the turkey I’ve been using for years. They look the same, but cook and season much differently. They were an accident, but I think I like the chicken better.

WHAT

2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 baking apple (DON’T USE MACS) minced
1/2 medium sweet onion, minced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tbsp crushed thyme
3/4 tbsp ground sage
1/2 tsp ground ginger (yes, Jenn, you can leave it out or use cayenne instead for heat, just use less)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2-4 tbsp cooking oil

HOW

Mince the apples and onions, and fry in oil in a large skillet until onions are transparent. Leave the pan on. In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken and spices. Add the apple and onion once they’re cooked and mix until thoroughly combined. Use a tablespoon, ice cream scoop or spatula to scoop out handfuls a little larger than a golf ball and pat into patties, dropping into hot pan when complete. Cook 4-5 minutes per side until browned, and never use the same spatula that you used for raw meat on the cooked product.

Now your house smells fabulous, and you have 16-20 sausage rounds that you can freeze and just heat and serve, or if you’re entertaining as I often do, grab yours and put the platter out on the table. You won’t get a second chance, because they’re amazing.

Goes without saying to wash hands thoroughly in between. Whenever handling raw poultry here, the dishes all get washed, and then rinsed with a little bleach in the rinse water. Sink is scrubbed, and dish cloth is washed and microwaved after clean up.