I frequently serve breakfast sausages with fruit compote on the side, so I decided to develop a recipe in which the sweet fruity flavors are part of the sausage mixture itself. Kids seem to adore this sausage because it is slightly sweet.
Thin sheep sausage casings (optional)
11/2 pounds pork butt or boneless country ribs
1/2 pound pork fat
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup orange marmalade
3 tablespoons sweet vermouth or cream sherry
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1. If using sausage casings, prepare them as directed.
2. Cut pork and pork fat into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes on a sheet of plastic wrap on a plate and freeze for 30 minutes, or until very firm.
3. Grind meat, fat, dried cranberries, and orange marmalade through the coarse disk of a meat grinder, or in small batches in a food processor fitted with the steel blade using the on-and-off pulse button. If using a food processor, do not process into a paste, but ingredients should be very finely chopped.
4. Combine meat mixture, vermouth, salt, pepper, ginger, and allspice in a mixing bowl, and knead mixture until well blended. Fry 1 tablespoon of mixture in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
5. Stuff mixture into casings as described, if using, and twist off into 4-inch links; prick air bubbles with a straight pin or skewer. If time permits, arrange links on a wire rack over a baking sheet and air-dry uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 day before cooking. Alternately, if keeping sausage in bulk, refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.
6. Cook sausages as directed to an internal temperature of 160°F when pierced with an instant-read thermometer or as directed in a specific recipe.
Note: Sausages can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 2 months. Once cooked, they can be refrigerated up to 3 days.