ITALIAN SAUSAGE CHEESEBURGERS

If you love Italian sausage sandwiches, but hate the annoyance of having to bite through a link, this is the recipe for you. It utilizes the now easy-to-find Italian sausage patties (sausage not in its casing) and turns it into a fantastic sandwich. I use a little garlic spinach as my condiment for these and they’re awesome, but obviously it’s like any other burger recipe; put what you want on yours! 

SERVES 2 

1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage not in casings

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus a little for brushing

1 garlic clove, minced

6 ounces baby spinach

2 slices provolone or other cheese to your liking 

2 hard, crunchy rolls like ciabatta or sourdough 

1. Separate the Italian sausage into two piles of equal size and then form each into a shape similar to the shape of your rolls
2. Brush patties with a little olive oil and preheat grill to 450 degrees
3. Place patties on grill for 4 minutes
4. Pull open your serving rolls, laying them flat and brush the inside with olive oil
5. Turn meat patties and cook for an additional 4 minutes
6. Turn patties again and place slices of cheese on each patty. Place rolls, inside down onto grill and cover the grill, killing the heat. Allow the cheese to melt and the bread to toast as the heat dies down, about 2 minutes
7. In a large skillet, hat olive oil until shimmering then add garlic for 10 seconds.
8. Add spinach and stir to desired doneness as it wilts, about 30 seconds
9. Serve burgers with spinach on top of each, and any condiments.