Hot Sausage & Cheese Party Toasts (Print Version)
Spicy sausage and creamy cheese piled onto cocktail rye, then broiled until hot, bubbly, and crisp around the edges.
# Ingredients:
For the sausage cheese topping
01 -
1 lb (450 g) hot pork breakfast sausage
02 -
8 oz (225 g) lean ground beef
03 -
16 oz (450 g) processed cheese, cubed
04 -
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
05 -
1 teaspoon dried oregano
06 -
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
07 -
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
08 -
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or thin sliced green onion, for garnish
For the toasts
09 -
36 slices cocktail rye bread
10 -
Cooking spray or parchment paper for the pan
# Instructions:
01 -
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the hot sausage and ground beef, then cook for 7-9 minutes, breaking the meat into fine crumbles, until fully cooked with no pink remaining.
02 -
Drain off the fat very well. Return the meat to low heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
03 -
Add the cubed processed cheese and stir over low heat until melted and thick, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat before the mixture gets loose or oily.
04 -
Heat the broiler and line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment or mist it lightly with cooking spray. Arrange the cocktail rye slices on the pan and spread about 1 heaping tablespoon of filling on each slice.
05 -
Broil 4-6 inches from the heat for 3-5 minutes, rotating the pan if needed, until the topping bubbles and the bread edges are crisp.
06 -
Sprinkle with parsley or green onion and serve hot. If making ahead, freeze the assembled unbaked toasts flat, then store airtight for up to 2 months.
# Notes:
01 -
Makes about 36 small toasts, enough for 12 appetizer servings.
02 -
For a milder batch, use mild sausage and skip the red pepper flakes.
03 -
Assembled unbaked toasts can be frozen for up to 2 months.