Pat: A breakfast sandwich should be a thing of beauty, a stackable, delectable, calorie-laden gut-buster of a meal. This one is all those things. I usually have this sandwich on a warm buttermilk biscuit, but you can also split a glazed doughnut in half and use it as the “bread” (you’re already down the rabbit hole with the bacon, sausage, and cheese, so you might as well go whole hog with the biscuit or doughnut). Butter and hot sauce are the only condiments that I need, but feel free to add a slather of mayo, mustard, or ketchup, if you like. Have a fresh pot of coffee ready when you prepare this one.

　　

Ingredients

serves 1

　　2 strips thick-sliced bacon

　　1 sausage patty

　　1 large egg

　　Kosher salt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　1 slice American cheese

　　Butter

　　1 Buttermilk Biscuit (page 236) or glazed doughnut

　　Dash hot sauce, if desired

　　

Step 1

Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, to drain. Fry the sausage patty in the bacon grease until it is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes on each side; transfer the patty to the plate with the bacon.

　　

Step 2

Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the skillet, and return the skillet to the heat. Fry the egg as desired (I like mine over medium, so the yolk is still fairly runny), and season it with salt and pepper. Just before the egg is cooked to the desired doneness, place the slice of cheese on top of the egg, and remove the skillet from the heat. Split a warm biscuit, and butter both sides. Break the two pieces of bacon in half, then top the bottom of the biscuit with the bacon halves and the sausage patty. Gently place the egg on the sausage patty, and top with a dash or two of hot sauce, if desired. Top with the remaining biscuit half, press gently to adhere, and eat immediately.

　　From Down Home with the Neelys by Patrick and Gina Neely Copyright (c) 2009 by Patrick and Gina Neely Published by Knopf.Patrick and Gina Neely are owners of Neely's Bar-B-Que in Memphis and hosts of several Food Network shows, including the series Down Home with the Neelys, one of the highest-rated programs to debut on the popular Food Network. High school sweethearts who reconciled at their ten-year reunion, they have been married since 1994. They live in Memphis with their two daughters.Paula Disbrowe collaborated with Susan Spicer on Crescent City Cooking and is the author of Cowgirl Cuisine.