Sausage Answers the Wake-Up Call

Restuarants & Institutions Magazine
May 2002

When students head off to college, nothing can be more comforting than a familiar meal. At the University of Georgia, Chef Darnell Tate creates a taste of home with French toast featuring Jones sausage patties.

A photo of Chef Darnell Tate taken outside Snelling Dining Commons in 1995

Every year, University of Georgia Food Services on the Athens campus invites parents to share recipes of their kids' favorite dishes. Chef Darnell Tate then transforms the recipes to large quantity production. Jones Hot and Zesty Sausage Patties are a key ingredient in Sausage Stuffed French Toast, a recipe originally submitted by a student's mom participating in the university's "Taste of Home" program.

Students really cozy up to the flavor combination of sausage, cheese and egg-drenched bread. In fact, the dish is such a hit that it's now rotated in the regular cycle menu.

"This is Georgia. Sausage is a breakfast staple. We need to have some kind of pork product every morning on our menu," says Chef Tate. He says the Jones Hot and Zesty Sausage Patties provide a nice contrast to the sweetness of the bread Sausage-Stuffed French Toast. "I found the product extremely easy to work with and versatile," adds the chef.

Hot and Zesty Sausage Stuffed French Toast

Portion Size: 1 slice
Yield: 12 portions
  • 12 Jones Golden Brown Hot and Zesty Sausage Patties
  • 12 Slices french bread, cut into 1/4-inch thick diagonal slices
  • 6 oz. provolone cheese, sliced
  • 6 large eggs, lighty beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • Vegetable oil as needed
  • Confectioner's sugar
  • Breakfast syrup
  1. In a 450 degree oven, bake sausage patties on a baking sheet until well browned, about 10 minutes. Turn onse or twice during cooking to ensure even browning. Drain, cut each piece in half and keep warm.
  2. Create a pocket in each slice of french bread by cutting through each slice, leaving the bread connected at the bottom by 1/4 inch. Fill each pocket with two halves of the sausage patties and 1/2 ounce of cheese.
  3. Combine eggs, milk and sugar in a bowl until well blended. Dip each stuffed bread slice into egg mixture, allowing custard to lightly coat bread.
  4. Heat a lightly oiled griddle and cook French toast until golden, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side.
  5. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve with breakfast syrup.