Banger Sausage Patties with Sweet Potato Mash and Caramelized Onions (Whole 30)

By Kathy C.

From The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom. Serves 2

Ingredients

• For the Sausage:
• 1 pound ground pork (or chicken or turkey)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage (**I use 1/2 tsp)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• ¹⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¹⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt (**I use 1/2 tsp)
• ¹⁄8 teaspoon black pepper (**I use 1/4 tsp)
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (**I omit)
• For the Mash:
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
• 4 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

PREPARE THE SAUSAGE: In a large mixing bowl, mix all the sausage ingredients. Form into 8 equal patties. Place on a plate and chill in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes while starting the sweet potato mash. (**see NOTES below for alternate cooking directions)

COOK the sweet potatoes in the boiling water until fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Add 1 tablespoon of the ghee and coconut milk. Using a potato masher, immersion blender, or large kitchen fork, mash and mix the sweet potatoes with the ghee and coconut milk. Cover the pot to keep warm and set aside.

REMOVE the sausage from the freezer and place on the parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Bake the sausage patties in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145°F, and no pink remains in the middle of the patty.

MEANWHILE, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of ghee in a large skillet over medium heat, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. When the ghee is hot, add the onion and cook for 15 minutes, turning them periodically as they begin to brown and caramelize. (Do not rush this step—the browner the color, the more concentrated the flavor will be.)

TRANSFER the mashed sweet potatoes to a bowl or serving dish and top with the caramelized onions. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Serve with the sausage patties.

NOTES:

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of spices in this fancier sausage mixture—measuring and mixing is actually really quick. To make it easier on future you, quadruple the spice mixture (the ingredients from sage to pepper), use one-fourth of it (2 heaping teaspoons) in this batch, and store the rest in an airtight container in your pantry for the next time you want to make the sausage.

Caramelizing the onion adds so much flavor to this dish, but it takes care and patience. First, don't slice the onions too thin or they'll dry out too much while cooking. Aim for slices about 1/8 inch thick. Make sure you use a large enough pan-crowd your onions and they'll steam instead of caramelize. Finally, don't rush the process! Onions should be soft in texture and a rich brown color before you pull them off the stove.

**Alternate cooking directions:
FORM sausage into 8 equal patties about 1-inch thick.
HEAT 1 TBSP of fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the fat is hot, add the sausage patties and brown for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the sausage to the baking sheet (w/ parchment paper) and finish cooking them in the 350 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until no pink remains in the middle of a patty.

Pro Tip: These freeze beautifully--just stack them in a covered container between sheets of wax paper so they don't stick together.