Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Brat-ketology Round 1: Chicken Sausage Bruschetta

With some major upsets this past weekend in college basketball, a lot of brackets were busted in office pools across the nation.  That's why I am glued to the games during the tournament, anything can happen.  Cinderella stories and heart breakers keep it interesting.  

For game day eats this past weekend, instead of "bracketology" that the commentators debate, we did "brat-ketology" pairing a few sausage dishes.  For the first round, I made up some Chicken Sausage Bruschetta that were easy and simple.


Chicken Sausage Bruschetta

by www.nibblemethis.com
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients (14 bruschetta)
    You'll need
    For the cheese topping
    • 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
    • 6 Tbsp butter
    • 3 oz neufchatel or cream cheese
    • 1 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
    • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
    • pinch each of salt, pepper, garlic powder
    Instructions
    1. Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-low.
    2. Mix cheese topping ingredients together and set aside.
    3. Cook sausages according to directions. Slice into thin slices at an angle.
    4. Increase grill temperature to medium-high. Toast bread slices on one side only and remove.
    5. Place pizza stone on the grill to preheat.
    6. Top the toasted side of the bread with the cheese mixture and a few slices of sausage.
    7. Place on heated pizza stone and cook 6-8 minutes or until the bottom of the bread is toasted and the cheese mixture soft and "melty".
    8. Drizzle with buffalo sauce and serve.
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    Your butter and cheese should be at room temperature for easier mixing.

    The chicken sausage has 50% less fat than pork sausage and the Neufchatel cheese has about a third less fat than cream cheese.

    Gratuitous grill shot.
    Make sure your pizza stone gets hot before putting the toasts on or your tops will be done before your bottoms get crispy.

    I was a dork and couldn't resist drawing a bracket on the white board. 

    Doing a simple grilled toast like this is a game day favorite of mine.  It is fast, flexible and inexpensive.  It can be prepared ahead and then just assembled & grilled onsite if you are tailgating.  

    Coming up for Round 2:  Beer Basted Brats in Pretzel Buns.


    [Standard DisclaimerI am a member of Johnsonville's Big Taste Grillers Panel and as such, get free and new products to try; however, I paid full price for these sausages.