Jamie Oliver’s sausage sandwich is a golden sausage patty in a toasted brioche bun, topped with a Manchego-stuffed roasted red pepper and black olive tapenade. It’s a five-ingredient upgrade on the classic, serving 4 in 18 minutes.
In 5 Ingredients Mediterranean (2023) he takes the humble sausage sarnie somewhere Spanish. Sweet jarred roasted peppers stuffed with oozing Manchego stand in for ketchup, and a smear of briny tapenade adds the salty punch, so a few ingredients feel like a gastropub plate.
The trick that lifts it is turning the sausages into patties. You squeeze the meat from the skins and flatten it into thin rounds, which brown faster and sit flat in the bun, so every bite has sausage rather than it rolling out the side.
Jamie Oliver Sausage Sandwich
Course: Dinner, LunchCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4
servings8
minutes10
minutes577
kcal18
minutesJamie’s five-ingredient sandwich from 5 Ingredients Mediterranean: a golden sausage patty in toasted brioche with a Manchego-stuffed roasted pepper and black olive tapenade. Serves four.
Ingredients
6 higher-welfare sausages (400g total)
4 large jarred roasted red peppers (whole)
80g Manchego cheese
4 teaspoons black olive tapenade
Directions
- Toast the buns:Halve the brioche buns and quickly toast them in a large dry non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, then set aside.
- Shape the patties:Squeeze the sausages out of their skins into a bowl, divide into 4, and with wet hands flatten into 1cm-thick patties.
- Fry:Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan, add the patties and cook for 2 minutes each side, until golden and cooked through, then remove to a plate.
- Stuff the peppers:Drain the peppers and cut the Manchego into 4 slices, discarding any rind. Stuff each pepper with a slice, then cook in the pan until the cheese starts to ooze, turning occasionally.
- Assemble:Spread 1 teaspoon of tapenade over the base of each bun. Add a sausage patty, top with a Manchego-stuffed pepper and the bun lid, and serve.
FAQs
Why turn the sausages into patties?
Squeezing the meat from the skins and flattening it into thin patties changes the sandwich for the better. A flat 1cm patty browns quickly and evenly, cooks through in just four minutes, and sits flat in the bun so you get sausage in every bite rather than a round link rolling out the side.
It also lets the seasoned sausagemeat crisp up over more surface area, so there’s more of that golden, savoury crust. Wet your hands before shaping to stop the meat sticking. Six sausages divided into four patties gives you generous, meaty rounds.
What sausages should I use?
Good-quality, higher-welfare pork sausages are the base, and since they’re already seasoned, they carry the sandwich. A plain or lightly herbed banger lets the Manchego, peppers and tapenade shine, whereas a very heavily spiced sausage can compete with them.
Chorizo-style or Spanish sausages would lean nicely into the Mediterranean theme if you want more punch. For a vegetarian version, a good meat-free sausage works squeezed and patted the same way. Whatever you choose, brown them properly for flavour.
Why stuff the peppers with Manchego?
The stuffed pepper is what replaces ketchup or brown sauce here, and it’s far better. A soft, sweet jarred roasted pepper wrapped around a slice of Manchego, warmed until the cheese oozes, gives you molten, nutty, salty cheese and sweet pepper in one neat parcel that sits on the patty.
Manchego, a firm Spanish sheep’s cheese, melts to a rich, slightly tangy ooze and suits the theme. If you can’t find it, a mild Cheddar, mozzarella or Gruyère melts well as a stand-in. Cut away any waxy rind before slicing, and warm the peppers gently so the cheese melts without the pepper falling apart.
What is tapenade, and can I swap it?
Tapenade is a Provençal paste of blitzed black olives, usually with capers, anchovy and olive oil. Spread thinly on the bun base, its concentrated, briny, savoury hit cuts through the rich sausage and cheese and ties the whole sandwich together. A little goes a long way.
If it’s not for you, or you want it vegetarian, green olive tapenade or a smear of pesto works instead, and even a good sun-dried tomato paste suits the flavours. Just keep it to about a teaspoon per bun, since too much would overwhelm the other components.
Can I make it vegetarian, or use different bread?
Yes on both counts. Swap in a good veggie sausage, squeezed and shaped the same way, and check your tapenade is anchovy-free, since many contain it. Manchego is made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian hard cheese if that matters.
Brioche is used for its soft, slightly sweet richness against the salty filling, but a soft roll, ciabatta or a pretzel bun all work. Toasting the bun in the dry pan first is worth doing whichever you use, as it stops the bread going soggy under the warm filling.
What do I serve with it, and can I make components ahead?
It’s a hearty sandwich, so it needs little more than a few fries, some crisps or a sharp green salad to cut the richness. A cold beer suits it down to the ground. It’s really a weekend lunch or a relaxed dinner.
You can shape the patties and stuff the peppers ahead and keep them chilled, then cook and assemble to order, since it’s best eaten hot and fresh while the cheese oozes and the bun is crisp. Reheat any leftover components rather than the built sandwich. There’s more on the Jamie Oliver recipes page.
