With the doom and gloom of a rainy Sunday always comes the need for a big, hearty breakfast – at least for me. Especially since I spent yesterday playing dodgeball  - and, by the way, my team won! Since I had some leftover ground turkey meat in the fridge, which was already partially seasoned with rosemary and cooked onions, I thought that some homemade turkey sausage was in order. I also made spicy hash browns and a roasted tomato frittata.

Though I usually follow a recipe, I cooked off the cuff on Sunday, and I think the meal turned out pretty well. (Special thanks to my sous chef, Tom, who makes a mean bloody mary.) Since I sort of made up the meal as I went along, my recipes weren’t exact.

Turkey sausage

1/2 pound ground turkey (mine was already seasoned with cooked onions and rosemary, from the burgers I made Friday night, but feel free to add whatever spices you like)
A tablespoon (or two, or three) of maple syrup
A sprinkle of fresh thyme
Pinch of cayenne pepper and red chile flakes, for a little heat
Salt, pepper

1. Mix everything up and form it into small patties.
2. Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
3. Cook the patties for about 1 1/2-2 minutes per side (depending on how large you formed the patties, this could take less or more time.)
4. Serve immediately.

Hash browns

1 large baking potato (left over from my homemade “fries“)
Thyme
Jalapeno (I used some pickled jalapeno, because it’s what I had)
Pinch cayenne, pinch pimenton (this is a type of smoked paprika that you can get in specialty stores like Williams-Sonoma – it is good on everything.)
Fresh parsley
Olive oil, duck fat (for those feeling particularly decadent, I only used a teaspoon or so)
Salt, pepper

1. Peel and dice the potato into bite-size pieces.
2. Throw it an oil- and duck fat-slicked skillet that is set to medium-heat.
3. Sprinkle kosher salt and freshly ground pepper over top.
4. Dice up that jalapeno and throw it over top the potato, add the cayenne, thyme and pimenton.
5. Cook for about twenty minutes, stirring continuously.
6. Sprinkle some chopped, fresh, parsley over top.

Roasted tomato

I had half a tomato in my fridge, so I cut it into four pieces, drizzled some basil-flavored olive oil over top, and sprinkled on Maldon sea salt and fresh ground pepper. I then stuck it in a 400-degree oven for a couple of hours, until I was ready to make the frittata.

Pre-oven

This stuff is awesome…from the Olive Oil Store, at the St. Johns Town Center

Tomatoes, post-oven and in the frittata pan.

Roasted Tomato, Cheese & Herb frittata

Four eggs
Splash of half-and-half
Rosemary, thyme, basil (roughly chopped or torn)
Shredded mozzarella
Cubed white cheddar
Salt, pepper

1. Crack the four eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, thyme, basil and rosemary, and add a splash of half-and-half. Stir.
2. Heat a (small) non-stick skillet over low-medium heat. Add the roasted tomatoes (which, by now, should be basically collapsed.) Pour over the seasoned eggs.
3. Sprinkle over some shredded mozzarella, and place the chunks of cheddar atop. Let the whole thing set for about 5 minutes.
4. Set in a 375-degree oven for about 8 minutes, until the top is not longer “jiggly.”
5. Let cool slightly and serve.

YUM.

My boyfriend’s from-scratch Bloody Mary (with a salt and cayenne pepper rim) was the perfect addition.