morning vs. night

It’s been a strange week. Dave was out of town on business Friday – Friday. I was in California that first weekend for a wedding (a gorgeous wedding). Then Marissa went down to Tucson for her boyfriend’s birthday (Happy birthday, Alberto!).  And on Thursday, I took Connor up to Flagstaff to begin his sophomore year at NAU (Have a great first day today, Con! Missing you!).

The four of us were never home at the same time, and now we won’t be again until … Thanksgiving, probably (insert sad face here). After all that disruption, what we need is breakfast for dinner. There aren’t too many things that feel cozier than having traditional morning food in the evening.

These sandwiches are delicious with or without the addition of a poached egg. I did four with and four without. Use any cheese you like, but I’m using pepper Jack to go with the jalapeno sausage I purchased at The Pork Shop… so darn good!

Sausage and Basil-Parmesan Biscuit Sandwiches

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup minced fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup milk
1 egg

3/4 pound bulk fresh pork sausage
16 thin slices pepper Jack cheese
Poached eggs, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks, until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Stir in basil and cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and egg.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until just moistened.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface; pat into a 1-inch-thick circle. Cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter into 8 biscuits. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a rack before slicing. Reduce oven to 350 degrees.

While biscuits bake; cut sausage crosswise into 8 equal pieces and flatten each into 3-inch rounds. Cook sausage patties in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, turning, until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Split biscuits, then make sandwiches; layering with bottom half biscuit, 1 slice cheese, 1 sausage patty, (add poached egg here, if using) another slice of cheese, and biscuit top.

Place sandwiches on the baking sheet and bake in the middle of the oven until cheese is melted about 5 minutes.

Makes 8 sandwiches