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Created by Chef Remy
Crispy-skinned Cajun hot sausage split and seared until the juices run, piled high on crusty French bread with caramelized peppers and onions, slathered with Creole mustard that bites back.
The hot sausage po' boy is what Louisiana eats when nobody's watching. Not the shrimp po' boy tourists order on Bourbon Street. Not the oyster po' boy food writers photograph. This is the working lunch, the after-shift reward, the sandwich that built this city one spicy bite at a time.
At Lagniappe, we serve more hot sausage po' boys on Fridays than any other sandwich. There's a reason. The sausage does most of the work for you. Good Louisiana hot sausage comes already seasoned, already spiced, already singing with garlic and cayenne. Your job is simple: get a good sear on it, pile it with peppers and onions that have gone soft and sweet in the rendered fat, and slather that bread with enough Creole mustard to make your eyes water.
My grandmother Evangeline kept hot sausage in her icebox the way other folks kept milk. It went into everything: red beans, jambalaya, breakfast scrambles. But the po' boy was her quick supper, the meal she made when my grandfather came home hungry and she had twenty minutes to put food on the table. She'd split those links down the middle, press them flat in her cast iron until the edges crisped, and pile them on yesterday's French bread that somehow still had life in it.
Quantity
1 1/2 pounds (about 6 links)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
Quantity
1 large
sliced into half-moons
Quantity
2 medium (1 green, 1 red)
sliced into strips
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
4 tablespoons
softened
Quantity
2 loaves (about 24 inches total)
cut into 6-inch sections
Quantity
1/4 cup
Quantity
1/4 cup
Quantity
2 cups
shredded
Quantity
2 medium
sliced
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Louisiana hot sausage links | 1 1/2 pounds (about 6 links) |
| vegetable oil | 2 tablespoons |
| yellow onionsliced into half-moons | 1 large |
| bell pepperssliced into strips | 2 medium (1 green, 1 red) |
| kosher salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| black pepperfreshly ground | 1/4 teaspoon |
| cayenne pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 4 tablespoons |
| French breadcut into 6-inch sections | 2 loaves (about 24 inches total) |
| Creole mustard | 1/4 cup |
| mayonnaise | 1/4 cup |
| iceberg lettuceshredded | 2 cups |
| tomatoessliced | 2 medium |
| dill pickle slices (optional) | for serving |
Split each sausage link lengthwise, cutting almost but not quite through, so it opens like a book. This exposes more surface area to the hot pan and lets you press it flat for maximum crispy edges. That's where the flavor lives.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add one tablespoon of oil. Place sausages cut-side down and press firmly with a spatula. You want to hear an aggressive sizzle. Cook without moving for 3 to 4 minutes until the cut surface develops a deep golden-brown crust. Flip and cook the skin side another 2 to 3 minutes until it tightens and crisps. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the rendered sausage fat in the skillet. That fat is liquid gold, full of spice and pork flavor. Add onions and peppers, season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until the onions turn translucent and the peppers soften with charred edges. They should smell sweet and slightly smoky. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside with the sausage.
Slice each bread section horizontally, leaving one edge attached like a hinge. Spread butter generously on both cut surfaces. Place buttered-side down in the same skillet over medium heat (wipe it out first if there's too much oil). Toast until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes. The bread should shatter slightly when you press it, but the interior stays pillowy soft. That contrast is everything in a po' boy.
Spread Creole mustard on the bottom half of each bread section. Spread mayonnaise on the top. Layer one and a half sausage links (cut to fit if needed) on the bottom, cut-side up so you see that beautiful sear. Pile the peppers and onions generously over the sausage. Add shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and pickles if you want it dressed. Press the top gently and serve immediately.
A po' boy is not a delicate affair. Serve it on butcher paper or a simple plate with extra napkins. The juices will run. The bread will flake. Your hands will get messy. That's how you know it's right. Have extra Creole mustard on the table for those who like more heat.
1 serving (about 500g)
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