This grilled sausage sandwich made with grilled zucchini and scallions is insanely satiating—whatever your constituent chromosomes. What we mean by that is it was originally dubbed The Man Sammie due to its heartiness although, quite honestly, we find it appeals to and sates all of us pretty much equally.–Renee Schettler Rossi
Grilled Sausage Sandwich
Ingredients
For the herb mayo
- 1 packed cup flat-leaf parsley, dill, mint, basil, or chives, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or more, taste
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sandwich
- 12 ounces beef or lamb sausage, such as merguez or spicy Italian
- 1 large zucchini, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into slices 1/4-inch thick
- 4 scallions or 2 spring onions, left whole, or 1 red onion, thickly sliced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 multigrain hoagie rolls, split, or 4 slices whole grain or seven grain sandwich bread
Instructions
Make the herb mayo
- Blend the herbs, yogurt, mayo, and olive oil in a mini food processor or blender until the mixture is smooth and flecked with green.
- Pulse in the lemon juice, stopping and tasting as you go, adding just enough juice to give it just the right balance of tartness. Taste and season accordingly with salt and pepper. (You can cover and refrigerate the herb mayo for up to 4 days.)
Make the sandwich
- Preheat the grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot.
- Place the sausage on the hottest part of the grill or pan and cook until browned and crisp on one side, about 6 minutes. Flip and grill until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes more.
- Meanwhile, dump the zucchini and onion(s) in a large bowl, drizzle with the oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. When you flip the sausage, place rhe vegetables on the grill. Cook until lightly charred on the outside and mostly tender on the inside, about 4 minutes per side.
- Transfer the sausage and vegetables to a platter or cutting board. Place the hoagie rolls or bread on the grill and toast, turning to brown both sides if using sandwich bread.
- Spread the herb mayo on the bottom portion of each hoagie roll or on 2 slices of bread. Slice the sausages to fit the rolls or bread. Divvy up the sausages and grilled veggies between the rolls or bread and sandwich them with the remaining naked rolls or bread. Serve warm with ample napkins.
Notes
Veggie Sandwich Variation
You can make the above sandwich minus the sausage and add double doses of grilled zucchini and onions plus a grilled portobello cap with melted Muenster (or other mild) cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
My husband was dubious about a sandwich that had no bacon or cheese in it and that also included vegetables, but he was a convert after he ate it. Delicious! The grilled zucchini and onion are great (add a few red pepper flakes for a kick) and the sauce is fantastic! I used sweet Italian sausage, and it was tasty, but I look forward to trying it with merguez; I’ll bet that’s rockin’ good.
I used a whole grain hoagie bun for one of the sandwiches, just to try it, and it seemed a little more substantial, especially for holding the juicy ingredients. I think you could add more veggies using a hoagie. My husband loved the sauce, and was surprised there was yogurt in it. I did add 2 teaspoons of Sriracha sauce to it, and a little more lemon than called for, as it otherwise seemed a bit bland for our taste.
We thought that this would just be a good sandwich, nothing more than that. Boy, were we surprised. This sandwich makes it into the Sandwich Hall of Fame. The spiciness of the sausage, with its juices running into the grilled roll with the herb mayo….well, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. The sweetness of the grilled onion and the slight crispness of the zucchini added more flavor and texture.
I don’t know if we would’ve been as wowed if we hadn’t had really, really good ingredients. We used a spicy, fresh Calabrese sausage that is made at a very good, local, Italian deli. We had very fresh organic zucchini and purple onion. We made the herb mayo with wonderfully fragrant basil and mint right out of the garden. Instead of sandwich bread, we used a multigrain hoagie-style roll. We grilled everything on a double-burner cast-iron grill pan.
This sandwich satisfied more than our appetite, it was a feast for our senses, and got an “mmm” with every bite.
A satisfying sandwich that starts with good ingredients. The charring from the grill on the meat and the vegetables lends depth. It’s necessary to have really good bread. The herb mayo added a necessary lightness and zip, though it was more of a sauce than mayo in consistency.
Great flavors and textures, though make sure you use bread thick enough to stand up to everything you’re piling on there. Don’t skimp on the herb mayo, and they’re not kidding about serving with lots of napkins.
Depending on how much fat your sausages give off, you may want to skip some or all of the olive oil on the vegetables. Also, the herb mayo was more of a dressing, though I imagine this depends on how thick your homemade mayonnaise is to start with; you might want to make it ahead of time and chill it so it firms it back up somewhat.
There is an ad on TV in this neck of the woods that says “Love what speaks to you.” Well, both versions of this “man sandwich” speak to me. I didn’t have the right sausage so I made the veggie version. It is rich and satisfying and has very good eye appeal & mouth feel. I can’t wait to try the other version, and if it’s near as good I will definitely “Love what speaks to me.”
Eloquently put, Judy. Love it.
This is my kind of sandwich! To heck with this being a “man” one! 😉
I think I speak for all the ladies at Leite’s when I say we’re with you, Lori!