About the Recipe
This might be the King of all sandwiches! I wanted a Parm Sandwich but they always get soggy, no bueno. I also didn’t want the usual Chicken. I thought homemade Italian Sausage would be epic. Spoiler, it was! So I combined my love of frying with my love of a French Dip. Et Voila! There are 3 recipes in one here: The Sausage, The Marinara and The Sandwich.
Ingredients
Sausage
1 pound ground pork (I grind my own from pork shoulder steaks)
2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
4 cloves garlic
1 medium yellow onion, grated but not drained (about the size of a baseball)
1 teaspoon garlic powder ( yes, two types of garlic)
1 tablespoon whole fennel seed, toasted then ground
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Marinara
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (I love these https://amzn.to/4bdi7vN )
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 sprigs basil, whole
salt and pepper to taste
Breading & Frying
2 cups frying oil ( I use vegetable oil)
4 cups breadcrumbs
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
(Cont.)
The Sandwich
Crusty Sandwich rolls ( use your favorite)
1.5 cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated ( Grate your own, dammit)
1.5 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, grated ( Grate your own, dammit)
⅔ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated (you know the drill)
Mix all of these cheeses together for topping your Sausage patty before making the sandwich
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425º
Sausage (Should/can be done the day before)
Combine all the ingredients for the Sausage into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a mixer. You can easily do this by hand, but it could take a bit of time. I like to use my Kitchenaid. Mix until it reaches a gooey mess. The juice from the onion will aid in this. You kinda want to overwork this as this is what gives the sausage its “bounce”. Form into patties a little bigger than your rolls and about ½ inch thick. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Don’t worry, we’re not going for complete doneness here, the frying will take care of that. Remove from oven, let cool to room temp. Wrap in foil and place in the fridge.
Marinara
In a sauce pan sauté your garlic over medium heat for 2 - 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Add red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Toss in the sprigs of basil and let simmer for 30 minutes. season to taste.
Breading & Frying
Preheat your oil in a shallow and wide pan to 350º. We are going to shallow fry the patties.
Make a breading station. 1 wide vessel for you flour, 1 wide vessel for your beaten eggs and 1 wide vessel for your breadcrumbs.
Place one patty in the flour and coat both sides and edges. Lightly brush off excess flour. (there should be NO exposed sausage) Then place that patty in the beaten eggs and coat, making sure all the floured surface is now covered in egg. Then place that patty into the breadcrumbs and generously coat the entire patty paying attention to the sides as well. Finally, lower that patty into the preheated oil. Lay it away from you to reduce the chance of spatter burn. The oil should at least come up to the middle of the patty. This is where you need to pay attention. We are looking for the color…”Golden Brown Delicious”. once the patty is close to that on one side, carefully turn the patty over with tongs and continue until the desired color is achieved. Remember, we par-cooked these so they will not need a long cooking time (approx. 3 - 4 minutes per side) AND, we are holding them in a warm oven until all the patties are done…that carry-over heat is our friend. When achieved, place on a wire rack on a sheet tray in a 170º oven to keep warm. Rinse and repeat until all your patties have been fried.
The Sandwich
Let’s make these fuckers. I mean, you did a shit-ton of work so far…it’s time for your reward!
Take the tray of patties out of the oven and top them with the cheese mixture. Heaping amounts of cheese…I will not judge you.
Place under the broiler until the cheese is golden, bubbly and melty af. Place a patty on the sliced roll. Now, you can spoon some of that sexy Marinara over it and serve or do it my way and serve the sandwich with a big bowl of marinara for dipping…that way it doesn’t get soggy.
I really hope you enjoy this sandwich as much as the boys and P-Med did!