Breakfast Recipes
DIY Sausage McGriddle
What we love about the Sausage McGriddle — what we wake up craving on a sunny morning — is the interplay of texture and flavor. It’s soft and fluffy like a pancake, melty like cheese, and chewy like a sausage patty. And it’s got that breakfast-y seesaw of sweet and savory. Mmm, mmm, mmm.
The secret to the McGriddle’s sweet pancake is a little maple syrup in the batter. In the test kitchen, we riffed on that, swirling maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon through our batter. We cook the pancakes in a cookie cutter to get the signature shape, and the result is extremely pleasing: a lightly sweet, moist, and fluffy pancake with just a hint of fall spice.
We also went rogue with the sausage. Instead of the classic breakfast sausage, we used Gelson’s hot Italian sausage. In the McGriddle, that heat comes on like a sneaker wave. It’s an irresistible bite: you get the sweet pancake, the tangy American cheese and fluffy egg, and then the spicy sausage crescendo.
DIY Sausage McGriddles are the kind of kitschy fun that must be shared. They’ll be perfect for an easy Saturday morning with houseguests — make a pot of coffee, put on some music, and let the day roll out slow and delicious.
Our tip: Not into spice? Feel free to use your favorite breakfast sausage: herby, sweet, or full of fennel, it will taste awesome in this pancake sandwich.
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DIY Sausage McGriddle
For the sausage:
For the pancakes:
For the DIY Sausage McGriddle:
Directions
To form the sausage patties: Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Divide the ground sausage into 6 portions and form them into 3” patties. Transfer the patties to the sheet pan, season with salt and pepper, and set them aside in the refrigerator.
To make the pancakes: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until the batter is smooth — it’s okay if you have a few lumps.
Wipe out the bowl the dry ingredients were in and mix together the maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Grease the inside of the cookie cutter with butter. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add the butter. Once it starts to bubble, add the cookie cutter, and fill it with 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter and 1 teaspoon of the maple syrup mixture, using a small spoon to swirl the batter.
Cook for 2 minutes or until many small bubbles appear in the batter, then gently flip the cookie cutter and let the pancake cook for another 2 minutes.
Transfer the pancake to a plate and repeat steps 5 and 6 with the remaining batter.
Once all the pancakes are cooked, wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Cook the sausages, 1 at a time, over medium heat for 3 minutes with a weight on top, such as a small cast-iron skillet or burger press. Remove the weight, flip, replace the weight and cook for another 3 minutes or until well browned. Set aside.
To make the eggs: Wipe out the skillet, heat it over low heat, and add 1 tablespoon of butter. In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg until the white and yolk are well combined. Add the egg to the hot skillet, creating an even layer but not letting it spread too thin. Cook until the eggs are set yet pliable, about 2 minutes.
Using a spatula, fold the egg into thirds vertically, then horizontally to create a folded egg. Transfer the folded egg to a plate and repeat step 9 until all the eggs are cooked.
To assemble the DIY Sausage McGriddle: Heat the small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Place 1 pancake on the skillet, top it with a slice of American cheese, and cover and heat until the cheese is melted.
Transfer the pancake to a plate, top with a folded egg, a sausage patty, and a pancake. Repeat until all the McGriddles are assembled and serve with your favorite breakfast sandwich toppings.
Recipe adapted from: Joshua Weismann