American

Sweet & Spicy Sausage, Egg & Cheese

by:
February 18, 2021
4
5 Ratings
Sweet & Spicy Sausage, Egg & Cheese
Photo by Rick Martinez
  • Prep time 30 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • makes 4 sandwiches
Author Notes

I miss bodega sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good torta, but there is something so incredibly comforting about a melty, sausage-y and egg-y sandwich on a warm kaiser roll. There is a bodega about a block away from my apartment in New York that made the best breakfast sandwiches. They were everything you want in a SEC. Hot, packed with all the good stuff, fast, and cheap. Perfect for the morning after a hard night out or just a little pick-me-up self-care in the middle of the day.

And to that point, there is no reason that you shouldn’t be eating this sandwich anytime, day or night. When the mood strikes or you need a big food hug, you make this sandwich and can’t not feel happy and satisfied after. —Rick Martinez

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Sweet & Spicy Sausage, Egg & Cheese
Ingredients
  • Sweet & Spicy Pork Sausage
  • 2 tablespoons muscovado or dark brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or sage, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes (such as chile de árbol)
  • 1 pound ground pork, preferably not lean
  • 2 tablespoons rendered lard
  • 4 slices cheddar, American, or muenster cheese
  • Spicy Tomato Salsa
  • 4 medium roma tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
  • 2 chiles moritas, stemmed
  • 2 chiles de árbol, stemmed and seeded
  • 1/4 medium white onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Lime juice, to taste (optional)
  • Sandwich & Assembly
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 brioche rolls, biscuits, or English muffins, cut in half lengthwise
  • 8 large eggs, beaten to blend
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, mix piloncillo, salt, garlic, pepper, rosemary, thyme, vinegar, garlic powder, allspice, chile flakes. Add pork and lard and work spice mixture into meat with your hands until it's very well blended and holds its shape.
  2. Refrigerate the sausage mixture to let rest while you make the salsa.
  3. To make the salsa: In a medium saucepan, bring tomatoes, chiles, onion, garlic, salt, and ½ cup of water to a boil; reduce to simmer, cover, and cook until chiles and vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes to cool slightly. Transfer to the jar of a blender and puree on medium low until almost smooth. Season with salt and lime juice as needed.
  4. When you’re ready to make the sausage patties and assemble your sandwiches, remove the rested meat from the fridge. Scoop out ¼-cupfuls of mixture and flatten into about ¼"-thick patties (they will plump slightly when cooked).
  5. In a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat, heat a splash of vegetable oil or more rendered lard. Add sausage patties to the pan, being careful not to crowd the skillet, and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip, place cheese on top, and cook 2 minutes more until the cheese is melty and the patty is fully cooked through.
  6. Generously butter each half of brioche on both sides. Heat a large griddle or your cast-iron skillet over medium and toast, cut side down, pressing slightly until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and toast on other side, pressing slightly until golden brown side, another 3 minutes. Keep brioche and sausage warm while you make the eggs.
  7. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add eggs and season with salt and pepper. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, cook, lifting edges and tilting skillet to let uncooked egg run underneath, until mostly set but still slightly runny on top, about 2 minutes.
  8. To serve, top bottom half of brioche with egg, then sausage. Drizzle with salsa and close sandwich.
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Rick Martinez

Recipe by: Rick Martinez

Rick Martinez is currently living his dream—cooking, eating and enjoying the Mexican Pacific coast in Mazatlán. He is finishing his first cookbook, Under the Papaya Tree, food from the seven regions of Mexico and loved traveling the country so much, he decided to buy a house on the beach. He is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit, New York Times and hosts live, weekly cooking classes for Food Network Kitchens. Earlier this year, he was nominated for a James Beard Award for “How to win the Cookie Swap” in Bon Appétit’s holiday issue.

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1 Review

Jesse V.
Jesse V. February 22, 2021
This was fantastic, I halved the recipe and it turned out so well. It's definitely going in my weekend brunch rotation. It's really a sweet/ heat marvel.

I only have access to a nutri-bullet, so I cooled the salsa completely before blitzing until almost smooth. I followed some of the tips Rick suggests in the video that aren't in the written recipe; I used dry herbs and just halved the fresh amount, and used butter instead of rendered fat for the sausage.