It’s pretty much a given that every weekend I’m watching football and with this Poutine Recipe with Sausage and Pepper Jack Cheese it’s even better. In fact, I even get sad after the opening weekend because that means I’m one week closer to the season being over, ridiculous, I know… But never-the-less the greatest weekend in all of sports is upon us which means it’s time to pull out the big guns in the food department.
I’m a huge fan of cooking with sausage and not just because I’m Italian. There are so many delicious sausages out there, and Johnsonville® always brings it in the flavor department so I’m going to make an insanely tasty poutine for my #SausageBowl Party! Think of a spicy biscuits and gravy sauce meets French fries, pico de gallo and olives for the ultimate appetizer. Sure there are tons of traditional appetizers out there, but we’re hosting this year and I’m trying to impress everyone who’s coming over with something a little different up my culinary sleeve.
Like I said earlier I’m going to make a spicy sausage gravy using Johnsonville® sausage patties. Start by browning off the sausage in a large sauté pan on high heat with just a hunt of butter to help get it going. From there add a little flour to make a roux, add some whole milk and whisk in some fresh shredded pepper jack cheese. This is going to help give it a nice spice, and with the tasty Johnsonville® breakfast sausage this is going to be the perfect sauce to go over top over crispy fries. If you have a deep fryer I recommend deep frying the fries, but if that’s a no go then simply slice’em up, coat them in oil, place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and roasted them up in the oven on 450° for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked.
To be honest the sauce is fantastic and I had plenty leftover which means I can actually serve it up with some biscuits tomorrow for breakfast. Nothing like scoring twice before the game even starts! I topped off the crispy fries and spicy pepper jack sausage gravy with homemade pico de gallo, olives, sliced green onions, little pepper jack cheese chunks and few cilantro leaves. I know what you’re thinking that this is going to be spicy with the jalapeños in the pico but don’t worry it’s perfectly balanced for your little taste buds. If you’d like a little more heat I suggest you add on a few chunks from the pepper jack cheese block you picked up and add it to the top, kind of like cheese curds.
There is really only one way to serve this and that’s on a gigantic sheet pan so people can pick and choose how much they want. It can be a little messy if you do it this way and if you have to you can do a poutine bar with everything hashed out in little ramekins for people to finger through and decided how much of the toppings they want. For me, I prefer the sheet pan, it looks cooler :-).
To make some variations on this you can serve it all over some tortilla chips for some tasty nachos, or if you’re ready for this and are an early tailgater or bruncher, pour the spicy sausage gravy over some hash browns, top it off with a fried egg and then finish it with the pico de gallo, sliced green onions and olives. I know I know it sounds good, but don’t be fooled because this poutine is incredible and you and your guests will love every bite they eat, promise!
Poutine Recipe with Sausage and Pepper Jack Cheese
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter
- 1 12 ounce package of sausage patties
- 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1 pound of shredded pepper jack cheese
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
For the poutine:
- 5 sliced large russet potatoes and deep fried to desired crispiness/doneness
- 3 small diced roma tomatoes
- ½ small diced red onion
- 1 seeded and small diced jalapeño
- juice of ½ lime
- 1 tablespoon of roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
For the Garnishes:
- sliced black olives
- sliced green onions
- cilantro leaves
- small chunks of pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- For the sauce: Melt the butter in a large suate pan over high heat and add in the sausage and cook until browned and cooked through out. Bread up the sausage into small chunks using a spoon.
- Next, sprinkle on some flour and mix it in to the sausage until it is incorporated.
- Pour in the milk and turn the heat down to medium-high and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it gets thick, think alfredo sauce.
- Whisk in the pepper jack cheese until its completely combined, season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
- For the pico de gallo: Combine the tomatoes, red onions, jalapeño, lime juice, chopped cilantro leaves, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix.
- To make the poutine: Place the cooked fries on a sheet pan and pour on some of the spicy sausage gravy. Top off with several tablespoons of the pico de gallo, sliced black olives, sliced green onions, cilantro leaves and small chunks of pepper jack. Serve warm!
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