Beef Sausage Hot Dogs With Basil & Lemon Mayonnaise

bluemoon downunder's Note:

My adaptation of one of several "sizzling sausages" recipes in this week's issue of the Australian magazine 'New Idea'. The cooking editor - Barbara Notrhwood - says "Embrace the great Aussie tradition! Throw a snag on the barbie this summer and whip up one of these tasty, budget-friendly meals". A snag BTW is an Australian slang term for a sausage. I'd certainly be interested to know if the term is used anywhere else in the world! This recipe she's costed as $A2.55 a serve. She includes "chips, to serve" which I've omitted. My other changes wouldn't make an appreciable difference to the costing. By any reckoning, a tasty, budget-conscious, 2009-savvy recipe.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 4.0 Beef Sa ...

• 4 thick beef sausages
• 1/4 cup tomato chutney
• 1/4 cup tasty cheese, grated
• 4 long crispy bread rolls (I recommend ciabatta)
• 1 tomato, halved, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cucumber, peeled if your cucumber is not a thin-skinned variety, thinly sliced (optional)
• baby spinach leaves, to serve
• sea salt, to taste (optional)
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
• basil, &
• 1/2 cup whole egg mayonnaise
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. To make the Basil & Lemon Mayonnaise, place all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until they are well-combined; set aside while you cook the sausages.
2. Cook the sausages under a medium to hot grill, turning occasionally, until they have browned all over and are cooked right through, or if it's summer and you have a BBQ, bung them on the barbie (Aussie for "put them on the barbecue").
3. Cut lengthways slits in the sausages, three-quarters of the way through; divide the chutney evenly among the sausages (in the slits) and sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the chutney.
4. Return the sausages to the grill (or the barbie) and cook them for a further 2 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
5. Cut the rolls lengthways in half, being careful not to cut them all the way through; spread the cut sides with the Basil & Lemon Mayonnaise; divide the tomato slices (and cucumber slices if you're using cucumber) between the rolls; add the optional salt and pepper (if using) on the tomato (and cucumber) slices, sausages and baby spinach leaves evenly between the rolls; and serve.

Reviews

[weekend cooker]

They were good, but I thought there was a tad too much lemon flavor. Made recipe as written, will probably make again, but cut down on the lemon. Made for 1-2-3 hit wonders.

[Trinkets]

There is a lot going on in this sandwich. The sauce was delicious. I think next time I would leave out the tomato chutney, or use the chutney and not the sauce? Anyway, I will do the sauce again, maybe on a grilled grouper sandwich! Yum, can't wait! Thanks!