I woke up this morning with an intense craving. The other day I read Laurent’s post about sausage cornbread and I couldn’t stop thinking of it. It had to happen, and today was the day. The day of sausage.
It seemed a shame, as Mr. X had finally remembered to bring home more of the awesome bacon. I considered whether this sausage cornbread could become bacon cornbread, but the allure of the meaty sausage was too much for me. The bacon would have to wait. I rushed right out to the market for provisions, and left Mr. X sleeping and unsuspecting.
I found some lovely andouille sausages, and luckily, some jalapeno jack cheese, which I had already determined was an absolute must. I should have brought over some of the leftover Double Gloucester from San Francisco, because I now know that it would have been spectacular, but now I have an excuse to try this again. And of course, I picked up a box of the ubiquitous Jiffy cornbread mix. I love love love this mix, mainly for its iconic packaging.
I really like the fact that it looks as though it hasn’t changed a lick in 75 plus years. A couple eggs, some coffee, and orange juice, and we were in business.
When I got back, Mr. X was still sleeping, but I figured the smell of cooking meat would pull him out of bed soon enough. And I was right.
Andouille Sausage Cornbread
- 2 or 3 andouille sausages, depending on size
- 1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix
- 1 egg
- 1/3 c. milk
- about 3/4 a cup of grated jalapeno jack cheese
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Cook up the sausages whole in a heavy-bottomed skillet, or on a grill, if you’re lucky enough to have one. They will probably take about seven or eight minutes to cook all the way through. As Laurent mentions, you want to cook them whole so you don’t lose any of their juicy goodness in the pan.
While the sausages are cooking, make the cornbread according to the directions (Jiffy requires an egg and milk). Don’t over mix it; you want some lumps to remain. I don’t know how I know that, but I do remember that that is the case when making cornbread. It won’t look like enough mix, but that’s alright because it will rise when you bake it.
Mix the grated cheese into the cornbread mix. I only used about half a cup, and I wish I’d used more. I wish I’d used a pound of cheese because I love cheese so much! But that might have been a bit excessive. Once the sausages are cooked, slice them into quarter inch slices and lay them out in a layer on the bottom of an 8-inch greased pan. Pour the cornbread mix over it, and bake it for about 20 minutes., or until the top is lovely golden brown. I actually used a too-big pan initially, and had to pour everything into a smaller pan, which is why the sausages are more mixed into the cornbread. And I kind of like it that way. If you’d like it that way, too, just mix the cut-up sausage into the mix before you pour it into the pan.
I was worried that it was undercooked, because the cheese adds so much moisture, but it was just fine. As long as the top is browned, you’re ok.
Laurent recommends drizzling the whole thing with maple syrup, but I was in such a hurry to eat sausage that I forgot. I’m sure Mr. X would have been repulsed by syrup, anyway, and I highly doubt he has any in his refrigerator. They were plenty excellent without the syrup, I can tell you. And I’m awfully glad that my craving forced me out of bed and to the market this morning, because this was a happy-making breakfast. Thanks, Laurent!
