Classic Sausage McMuffin - © McDonald's Canada

Breakfast Sandwiches: Make your own!

Who doesn’t love a Breakfast Sandwich – a Fried Egg with a slice of Cheese and some kind of Breakfast Meat stacked on a fresh, hot Biscuit, English Muffin, Burger Bun or other suitable Bread product? A Breakfast War looms in the fast Food Sector and we can all learn some valuable lessons from that…

Customized, Optimized Breakfast Sandwich - © Wikipedia CommonsJust one of many variations you can try on the Classic Egg, Cheese
and Breakfast Meat Sandwich!

We’ve been hearing a lot about developments among the Fast Food purveyors concerning the Breakfast service segment. Most recently, McDonald’s announced it was going to test-market All Day Breakfast at selected U.S. outlets. Look for similar responses from the competition if McD’s decides to roll out All-Day Breakfast across the chain.

McD’s started the whole breakfast Sandwich craze back in 1972 with the chain-wide launch of  the original version – incorporating ‘Canadian’ Bacon with the other basic ingredients. Since then, all its competitors have brought out their own take on the Breakfast Sandwich and all seem to have enough fans to keep those going. There are many versions, using many different Meats and other Fillings, across the board.

But the basic formula and ‘build’ routine remain the same, across the board.

Have you ever considered making your own?

Even if you have your own all-time fave among the commercial Breakfast Sandwiches currently available, you really must try making your own!

You can use any kind of Bun base: Don’t forget that some folks already serve Breakfast Sandwiches on Bagels, Doughnuts and other breads. There are even versions using Pita Pockets and Taco Shells! And that doesn’t even count those Tortilla ‘Wrap’ things with Scrambled Eggs! I’m going to make some Arepas some day soon and stack them with Breakfast Sandwich fillings. How about Indian Naan or Pizza Crust? For that matter, how about a Breakfast Calzone or Panzerotti?

Meats? Any kind of Cold Cut is fair game, depending on your taste. Not to mention Make your own Sausage Patties with any kind of ground meat, or any blend of meats. No different, basically, then making Meatloaf or Meatballs. Season and flavour them to your particular taste. Left-over Hamburger Patties? Go for it! Just microwave them for a minute covered to ensure that they don’t dry out… Choose Garnishes to make them Asian, Italian, Southwestern or Caribbean! I personally believe there is even room from a leftover Veal Scallopini or Wiener Schnitzel in a Breakfast Sandwich.

Use any kind of Cheese you like, as long as it complements the Meat. I, personally, veer towards Mozzarella, Gruyere, Swiss and Cheddar, depending on the Meat I’m using.

Come to think of it, I’ve been making Poached Eggs rather than just frying them for my Breakfast Sandwiches, lately. They fit on the bun batter – no raggedy, over-crisped edges to fuss with tucking in.

On top of it all… I often employ a thin slice of Tomato for colour and an nice acidic edge to counteract the abiding greasy nature of the rest of the main ingredients.

Sauces? Whatever you like. Just don’t overwhelm the basic ingredients – the Egg and the Meat and the Cheese – or it isn’t really a breakfast Sandwich anymore…

Experiment and have fun!

And don’t forget the Hash Browns!

~ Maggie J.