#BrunchWeek ~ Sausage and Fried Apples

Welcome to day 2 of Brunch Week. I'm glad to have you here and excited to share another fantastic brunch recipe with you. This one comes from my sister, Kylie. She told me about this dish when I was brainstorming ideas to make with the delicious Breeze Apples sent to me by Sage Fruit Company. Sausage and apples is always a fantastic pairing. 

See my kick-off post here for the rafflecopter information - there are TONS of great prizes, so make sure to enter!

The apples are crisp tender, and the flavor of the cinnamon goes wonderfully with them. They have a light coating and are just delicious cut into large chunks and eaten alongside the lightly sweet Johnsonville sausage links (which are pretty much the only brand of sausage I will buy - I'm not a huge fan of sausage but I loooove these links).

A tray of these sausages and apples would look beautiful on any brunch buffet.

BrunchWeek Beverages:

• Bluberry Mint Julep by The Suburban Soapbox

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:

• Lemon-Glazed Banana and Candied Ginger Scones by The Texan New Yorker
• Apple Cinnamon Muffins by Feeding Big and more
• Baked Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts by The Chef Next Door
• Braided Pepperoni Pizza Bread by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• French Toast with Apple Compote and Caramel Syrup by The Redhead Baker
• Lemon Sticky Buns by The Barbee Housewife
• Same Day Mock Liege Waffles by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:

• Apple and Caramelized Onion Tart by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Tropical Smoothie by Gluten Free Crumbley

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:

• Breakfast Burger by Cooking In Stilettos
• Fiddlehead, Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Quiche by Palatable Pastime
• Poached Eggs on Asparagus Bundled with Prosciutto on Cheesy Polenta by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:

• Baked Seafood Stuffed Avocados by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Fried Chicken Biscuits and Gravy Sandwich by From Gate to Plate
• Kielbasa Welsh Rarebit by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pulled Pork Pancakes by Brunch-n-Bites
• Sausage and Fried Apples by Making Miracles

BrunchWeek Desserts:

• Brie and Raspberry Tarts by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Lemon Meringue Angel Food Cake by Love & Confections
• Lemon Zucchini Bread by Sweet Beginnings
• Orange Cheesecake With Caramel Rum Sauce by Wholistic Woman

My 2 1/2 year old loves to help me take pictures, and had a great time picking out her favorite apple from the beautiful group of Breeze Apples I was sent to cook with!

Sausage and Fried Apples

Ingredients
1 12-oz package maple flavored Johnsonville sausage links
2 - 3 Breeze Apples (cored, and cut into 10 pieces each)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 TBS cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp sugar
oil, as needed

Directions

1. Cook sausage links in a large nonstick (or cast iron) skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When cooked through remove to a plate and keep warm. 
2. While sausages are cooking combine the flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and sugar in a medium sized bowl. 
3. Add enough oil to the pan to coat the bottom and increase heat if necessary so that apples will crisp when fried.
4. Gently coat the apples, pressing flour mixture into all sides. In small batches, place apples in the hot oil, leaving plenty of space between them to allow for flipping. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes per side (all three sides that have flour on them), allowing the flour to cook and coating to crisp.
5. Gently remove to a plate and keep warm while you prepare and fry the remaining apple slices, adding oil to the pan as needed to keep the bottom coated (scrape excess flour off the side between batches as well to try to keep the oil as clean as possible).

Disclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Red Star Yeast, Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, Vidalia Onion Committee, Sage Fruits, Nielsen-Massey, KitchenIQ, and Le Creuset for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions are my own.