APPLE SAUSAGE PANCAKES

FOR THE TOPPING:
1 (12-ounce) package Johnsonville Brown Sugar & Honey Links
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 1/4 cups peeled and cubed Granny Smith apples*
1/4 cup apple butter**
FOR THE PANCAKES:
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups pancake mix***
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 Granny Smith apples,* peeled and grated
1/2 cup pecans, toasted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:
Place the sausage on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn once, and then bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the sausage is no longer pink. Drain the sausage, reserving about 1 teaspoon of the fat for brushing. Bias-cut the sausage into 1/2-inch pieces.

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar and honey; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the apples and apple butter. Return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the apples are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the sausage and heat through, about 1 additional minute. Remove the pan from the heat, and cover to keep warm.

TO MAKE THE PANCAKES:
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Stir in the pancake mix and cinnamon until moistened. If the batter is too thick, you may need to add another drop or two of milk. Fold in the apples.

Heat a griddle. Brush the surface with the reserved fat to prevent sticking. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour the pancake batter in pools that are 2 inches away from one another. When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, in about 21/2 minutes, flip them over. Cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute.

TO SERVE:
Serve the pancakes with dollops of the topping. Sprinkle with the pecans, and serve immediately.

*You may substitute the apple of your choice, but crisp, slightly tart varieties such as Pink Lady and Golden Delicious best balance the juicy sweetness of Johnsonville Brown Sugar & Honey Links.

**Cinnamon-flavored applesauce works well in place of the apple butter.

***We like using buttermilk pancake mix in this recipe, but you may wish to use a buckwheat or whole wheat mix.

Serves 8
Excerpted from Johnsonville Big Taste of Sausage Cookbook by Shelly Stayer and Shannon Kring Biro
Copyright © 2006 by Shelly Stayer. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.