Favorites: Sausage Craft’s sage sausage

Attention to detail and a respect for heritage makes every Sausage Craft product a joy to eat. In the thick of autumn with Thanksgiving upon us, I turn to the tried-and-true flavors of their sage sausage ($8/lb. direct). The sage variety is available in bulk or as links, and epitomize simplicity with a handful of tasty ingredients like salt, pepper, and chili flake in addition to the sage and ground pork.

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Sweet Potato Croquettes

I’m serving up sage sausage inside of sweet potato croquettes this Thanksgiving. They’re crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. The recipe will make a couple dozen give or take a few, depending on how large you make them.

You will need:

1/2 lb. Sausage Craft bulk sage sausage, browned
1 lb. potatoes, about 2/3 sweet potatoes and 1/3 Yukon Gold. You don’t have to be exact.
1/3 stick or 1.33 oz. of unsalted butter
A loose tablespoon of fresh sage.
1/2 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Bread crumbs (I used panko bread crumbs for a light and crunchy coating)
An egg or two for the egg wash
Peanut oil (or another high smoke point oil) for frying

Let’s cook!

Peel your potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Put it all in a pot and add enough water to cover with a little headroom. Stir in at least a tablespoon of salt.
Crank up the heat on your stove, but once the water starts boiling, set a timer for 9 minutes.
When time is up your potatoes should be tender. If you can stab a cube with a knife and it comes out easily, they’re ready.
Drain and mash. I use a food mill because it’s fast and creates a great texture, but use whatever works. Set aside.
Brown your butter by melting it over medium high heat in a small pan until it starts to smell nutty and turn a dark golden brown color. When it’s almost there, take it off the heat and drop in the fresh sage. Strain into your mashed potatoes and add the milk and sausage.
Stir all of this to combine, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Let it cool to room temperature, then cover and put in the freezer for half a day, or until the texture is like thick ice cream.
Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk until uniform. Pour some bread crumbs into a second bowl. Start heating up your peanut oil in a pot. We’re shooting for around 325º F, but no more than 360º F.
For each croquette, take a slightly heaping teaspoon of your mixture and roll into a ball (it’s a little messy). Use a spoon to help cover it in egg, then use a separate spoon to help cover it in bread crumbs. If you’re oil isn’t ready, move formed croquettes to the freezer for staging.
Drop your croquettes into the oil and fry until golden brown and delicious. If you don’t crowd the pot, this should take about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oil and let them cool a little on a rack or paper towel. Enjoy!