Hearty Fight-Over-It Sausage Appetizer

(Warning: Men beg for this after they’ve had it the first time.)
(from Bev Fleece)

Our dear Bev brought this appetizer to one of our Ya-Yo gatherings many years ago. Upon trying it, the Yo-Yos never left their positions, parked around the table where it was being served. This made it challenging for us Ya-Yas to partake, not to mention the scowls occurring on our husbands’ faces as if they had no intention of sharing with us.

Shockingly, our children now behave the same way. While this dish is delicious for men and women, its’ heartiness is what appeals to our boys.

Initially, Bev made it by rolling up the sausage mixture into portions of crescent rolls. Once baked, she’d slice the rolls as you would a loaf of bread, and we’d eat them that way. It was a little labor intensive, until my friend Anne Arnold investigated the below recipe. (She was so enamored with this appetizer after I brought it to a dinner party at her house, she began trying different variations. We were celebrating our friends, the Daltons’, visit from Atlanta for the weekend.) Thanks to Anne and our good buddy the Pillsbury Dough Boy, he’s taught us a much easier method.

His variation includes an additional variety of cheese, because for sure we all need more cheese…

Ingredients:
Appetizer:
2 cans crescent rolls
2 pounds of spicy pork sausage (Here in Louisville, Kentucky, we’re blessed with Purnell’s sausage, but Bob Evans or any variety will do. Plus if you don’t want it on the hot side, just use mild or medium sausage.)
2 packages of cream cheese
2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Sauce:
Equal parts of:
Dijon Mustard
Apricot Preserves
Honey

For this sized appetizer, try 1/3 of a cup of each of the ingredients. Stir and serve at room temperature with the sausage squares. The sauce is what makes the dish!

Directions:

  • Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

  • In a large skillet, brown the sausage, crumbling it up into small pieces, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until no longer pink. Drain the grease and remove the sausage from the skillet. Add the cream cheese to the same skillet, cooking over low heat until melted. Add the sausage back in, stirring to coat.

  • Unroll one can of crescent roll dough into two long rectangles onto the bottom of an ungreased 13 x 9 (three quart) glass baking dish; pressing over the bottom of the pan and about ½ inch up the sides to form the crust. Spoon sausage and cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.

  • Unroll second can of crescent rolls and press to form the rectangle, covering the sausage and cheese. Press perforations to seal. (You can also use the crescent sheets which are now available in some groceries that are all one piece if you don’t want to fool with the perforations of the crescent rolls.)

  • Bake for 20-25 minutes ‘til the crescent dough is nicely browned.

  • Cool for 10-15 minutes.

  • Cut into squares and serve with the sauce. (Watch it disappear!)

New discovery: IF there are any leftovers (rarely happens), warm them in the oven the next morning and plop a fried egg on top. Oh my…