Low sodium sausage

This sausage is great as a pizza topping, but even better on a bun. Mix it up with different herbs or try it with ground chicken, turkey, or beef.

Servings: Eight 2-oz. patties (slider sized)

Sodium: 34 mg per 2-oz. patty

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork (20% fat works best)

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar (light brown works also) 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes

Notes on ingredients: 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons if you want to just eyeball the measurements and use just a tablespoon for all your spices. I don't know why but I would love for every recipe to use just one measuring spoon whenever possible. Also use whatever herbs you want here, these are the ones I usually have on hand but go with what sounds good. If you don't have dark or light brown sugar, use 2 teaspoons (or 2/3 a tablespoon) of white sugar and if you happen to have molasses add a teaspoon of molasses as well.

1) Bloom the spices and combine all ingredients: In a large skillet, combine the olive oil with all the spices and herbs and cook over low heat for about 3-4 minutes. You just want to heat up the spices to bring out their flavor here. Let the spice mixture cool and combine with the pork and brown sugar. If you're short on time, just throw all the ingredients together and mix to combine. Make sure the meat and spices are thoroughly blended but don't over-handle the meat. With ground meat, the more you mix and handle it, the more pasty it becomes and when we're not using salt in our cooking, that can often lead to a dense, hard texture. Here's an article that helps explain it better, but for practical purposes, just don't mix the meat too much.

2) For sausage patties: Shape into 4-8 patties. I always prefer slider-sized burgers so I do 8 patties per pound of pork, about 2 ounces each. Cook on medium heat in a large skillet for about 4-5 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Resist the urge to poke or press the patty as it's cooking If it starts to brown too quickly turn the heat down. You want to flip it just once and otherwise not mess with it as it's cooking.

3) For crumbled sausage: Cook the sausage mixture over medium heat in a large skillet, stirring occasionally until the sausage is cooked through, about 7-9 minutes. If you want your sausage to brown up nicely, don't stir too much so it has time to brown. This is great on pizzas, in a taco, omelet, or tossed with some pasta and roast vegetables.

TIPS:

-When using a leaner meat, add about 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to the meat or substitute onion powder for half a small grated onion. Both will keep the meat from drying out too much.

-This is a very flexible recipe. You can substitute fresh ingredients for the dry, change up the herbs, and add flavors like lemon zest, cayenne pepper, and caramelized onions or shallots. If you love basil and hate oregano, double up the basil and omit the oregano. Or try it with ground chicken, turkey, or beef!

-Try this sausage on a hamburger bun with ketchup, mayo-mustard, and pickles!