Homemade Apple-Sage Sausage Sliders on Portobello Buns

Hi all!  I'm back after a wonderful holiday break.  Family, food, presents, food, singing, food...pretty much sums up my Christmas.  I've cooked up a storm over the past week, and have a lot of great recipes coming your way to ring in the new year!

Let's start with this nice sausage sandwich.  It's super versatile and can be transformed into the perfect breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack; not to mention it's a mouthwatering show-stopper.  I love making food into edible art.  There is something magical about how you can make something delicious look just as visually appealing.  The best part is when it comes to making gorgeous food, you need to go as simple and unprocessed as possible.  Fruits, veggies, and free-range proteins are my favorite art supplies.

These portobello bun sausage sliders are packed with sautéed collard greens and roasted sweet potatoes.  There is a subtle sweetness from the apple and sweet potatoes which is perfectly balanced by the herby sage and slightly bitter collards.  I like to top these with a fried egg, allowing the rich yolk to act as a sauce.  You can easily make these vegetarian by swapping the apple sage sausage for your favorite meat-free variety.

While it is a bit time consuming to make these sliders,  you can make prep everything a day or two in advance so all you have to do is assemble and heat up when you want one. These would make great appetizers, or simply a fun breakfast or lunch.  If you want to make these extra delicious (and love mushrooms), top them with roasted lemon-garlic shiitakee.  OMG.

Your new year's resolutions start here, on Margaret's Dish.  Join me in cleaning up your diet and eating healthier and tastier than you ever imagined possible!  Leave me a comment or shoot me an email with recipes that you would like to be "made over".

For now, make a batch of these sausage sliders and grab a glass of Champagne (or red wine) to ring in the new year!  Let's make 2015 a delicious one :)


Homemade Apple-Sage Sausage Sliders on Portobello Buns

1 batch apple-sage sausage

12 portobello mushroom sliders
salt and pepper, to taste

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced small
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp dried sage
salt and peper, to taste

1 bunch collard greens
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and and pepper, to taste

fried eggs for topping, optional
fresh chopped parsley, optional

Directions:

For the mushrooms:
Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Line a baking sheet with tin foil.  Remove the stem of the mushrooms and scrape away the gills on the underside of the mushroom with a spoon.  Rinse the mushrooms and place top-side down on the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake 13-15 minutes, or until tender.  Drain the mushroom liquid and gently pat dry.  Set aside.

For the sweet potato:
Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Add the diced sweet potato to the pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried sage.  Drizzle the coconut oil on top, and gently toss so all the pieces are evenly coated.  Bake for 45min-1hr, or until sweets are crispy.  Stir every 15 min or so to ensure even cooking.

For the collard greens:
Devein the collard green leaves and chop small.  I usually stack a bunch of deveined leaves on top of each other and cut them into 1/2" slices.  Place the chopped collards in a bowl and soak them to remove any dirt.  Drain well.
Add the minced garlic and oil to a pan over medium heat, and cook until garlic is golden brown and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes once oil is hot.  Add the collards and saute for about 5 minutes, or until they are fully wilted and tender.  Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the sliders:
Start with the roasted mushroom caps, flat-side up.  Add a small amount of sautéed collards and roasted sweet potato.  Top each with a apple-sage sausage patty.  Additionally, you can top with a fried egg and some fresh chopped parsley.  Serve warm.