Champagne Sausage Patties

Making your own sausage from scratch sounds like a weekend project, and honestly? This one is. But it’s worth every bit of that wait.

Beef and fatty pork get ground together with garlic, onion, sage, marjoram, paprika, and a whisper of ground cloves. Chopped pecans add a nutty crunch you’ll never find in store-bought links.

Half a cup of champagne goes into the mix, adding a subtle brightness that cuts through all that richness.

Form them into patties, then let them sit uncovered on a rack in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. That overnight dry firms up the exterior and concentrates the flavors into something truly special.

Chef Tips

• Use fatty pork (shoulder or belly) for juicy patties. Lean pork makes dry, crumbly sausage.
• Grind the meat yourself if you can. A coarse grind gives the best texture.
• The overnight uncovered rest in the fridge is not optional. It dries the surface so the patties get a proper sear instead of steaming in the pan.
• Fry over medium heat. These are thick and need time to cook through without burning the outside.