To me, appetizers are the ultimate comfort food. They’re a treat – party food, or something to share when my husband and I are out at a restaurant. With just a few bites through which to deliver something delicious and memorable – the flavors and textures of appetizers can be bolder, more intense, maybe even more decadent. Just a few amazing bites are all I’m after.
When Johnsonville asked me to create a comfort dish, I found myself gravitating toward an appetizer. Not only would it be comfort food, it would also be fun to make the sausage kind of pretty – which isn’t always the easiest thing to do!I chose Johnsonville Smoked Split Rope Sausage to bring smoky flavor to this appetizer. I could have easily sautéed the sausage on the stove, but it was far quicker and easier to grill the slices on the panini press – it takes just two minutes to get them heated through with nice-looking grill marks.
Unlike most other fully cooked sausages, Johnsonville uses absolutely no fillers for a juicy and firm texture and bite. Johnsonville also only uses premium cuts of pork for even better overall flavor. And I appreciate that their portion control packaging comes with two individually-sealed sausages so it’s easy for me to use just one and save the other for another day.
Speaking of saving for another day, by all means, when you try this recipe please hold onto the rosemary leaves that you remove to make the skewers. There are a myriad of uses for it – here are 30 suggestions from BuzzFeed!
** WIN A $100 VISA GIFT CARD FROM JOHNSONVILLE! **
To enter: Please leave a comment on this post, telling us your go-to favorite appetizer to serve at a gathering.
Smoked Sausage, Fig and Manchego Skewers
By Kathy Strahs, PaniniHappy.com
Makes 32 skewers
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 package (13.5 ounce) Johnsonville Smoked Split Rope Sausage, sliced
- 32 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 12 ounces Manchego, portioned into bite-sized slices
- 8-12 fresh Black Mission figs, sliced cross-wise into rounds
- Honey, for drizzling
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the panini press to medium-high heat.*
Lay half of the sausage slices on the panini press, close the lid, and grill the sausages until they are heated through with grill marks, about 2 minutes. Set the grilled sausages aside on a paper towel-lined plate and repeat for the remaining slices.
Trim each rosemary sprig to 3-1/2 inches long. Holding the upper end of each sprig with one hand, use the other to run your fingers down the lower 1-1/2 inches of the sprig and remove the leaves.
To assemble: Top each grilled sausage slice with a slice of Manchego and a slice of fig. Drizzle a little honey on top of each fig. Skewer each little stack with a sprig of rosemary and serve immediately.
*Alternatively, you can heat the sausages on the stove: heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is lightly browned.
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{ 162 comments… read them below or add one }
It might be lowbrow, but in a pinch, it’s pigs in a blanket for us!
I love toasting baguette slices and topping them with ricotta, cherry tomatoes, balsalmic vinegar and pine nuts!
In keeping with the figs from your recipe….if it’s fig season, I love fresh figs (from my tree), goat cheese and prosciutto!
You’re so lucky to have a fig tree, Elsie! 🙂
I like to serve cheese and crackers at a gathering.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/516646880521236480
My go to? Simple cheese and meat plate 🙂
I love scallops wrapped in bacon.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/516681398502318081
I like caviar on a cracker
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/516689830470627330
Wow, these look lovely. Such a gorgeous presentation without much prep! I like serving olives and lightly pickled veggies as an appetizer. (No contest entry.)
Ooh, good one! I made pickled pearl onions for a little Christmas party a few years ago and they went fast. I’d forgotten.
My go to favorite thing to serve at a gathering is baby quiche.
My go to appetizer to serve is always shrimp. Everyone always eats it right up.
tweeted here- https://twitter.com/lil_lady_dz/status/516713695506739201
I love to serve fruit skewers
I like Cilantro Mousse dip with crackers. Thank you!
https://twitter.com/Dealsfan32/status/516722768340336640
I love to serve mini spring rolls as an appetizer! It is healthy and delicious.
https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/516757528651526144
Lovely giveaway and recipe.
I posted on my blog cybercookscookingcorner.blogspot.com
I always have salsa and chips at every gathering! Love how you used fig here!
I always have items on hand to make a quick antipasta platter.
i like to serve cream cheese wrapped in salami
https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/516925056312553472
I always end up making skyline dip – cream cheese, skyline cincinnati style chili and cheaddar cheese -all baked in the oven.
Another great addition to an appetizer party – these look so pretty, yet so easy to put together. Everyone loves a salty and sweet snack.
I love taking cooked sausage and mixing it with cream cheese. Then I fill a mini muffin tin with biscuit dough or crescent rolls and put about a teaspoon or so of the sausage cream cheese mixture on top of it and bake until brown and bubbly! I don’t know the name of these, I call them the sausage cream cheese things, but they are always a hit!
I shared on twitter!! https://twitter.com/HeatherLynn626/status/516936108442406912
a cheese and/or veggie platter!
boursin cheese with fig jam and triscuits is my easy, yet delicious go-to!
Brie cheese, wrapped in puff pastry, baked, fig jam on top, after taken out of oven!
That one is always a crowd pleaser! 🙂
I love brie & fig jam or fresh slices with crackers, this recipe looks wonderful and I am going to try it. Thanks
My go to favorite appetizer is spinach dip!
Can’t wait to try these! I never considered using the panini press to grill the sausage!
My go to appetizer are caprese skewers! So quick, easy and delicious!
My go-to is baked brie, but these little skewers are adorable and sound so delicious!!
Rachel @ Bakerita´s last blog post ..Banana Nut Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting
jalapeno popper dip or my mom always made ham and cheese crescent rollups and I love those.
Ooh, those do look nice. I’m sorry to report I nave never eaten a fresh fig! I need to find some!
I love serving sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Maybe it’s a childhood nostalgia thing, but people go wild over them.
Also, incidentally, I like that the Johnsonville package is slightly smaller than a pound. I always buy the smallest packages of meat in the bin because, really, you’ll never miss it in the finished dish and it’s good for us to moderate our meat consumption a bit, isn’t it? (Random. Sorry.)
My go-to appetizer is a white bean dip with pita chips. Quick, healthy, and I always have the ingredients around!
I love to pour Pic-a-peppa sauce over a block of cream cheese and serve it with crackers to cut off a dollop.
Jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and italian sausage, wrapped in bacon.
tweet – https://twitter.com/rusthawk/status/517055724250099713
I love these for the delicious ingredients and for how it looks up-scale but is really simple!
My go-to might be chips and salsa or hummus and crackers for a casual gathering. Mini Quiche for a party atmosphere.
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/517300882770518016
buffalo chicken dip. It isn’t fancy but it sure is tasty!
One+Frugal+Girl´s last blog post ..Inundated by Unexpected Expenses
I like to serve a platter with fresh Veggies and a platter with Wisconsin cheese, such as aged cheddar, Asiago… and fresh out of the oven artisan bread.
I love to make stuffed roasted peppers.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/PrettyHotPink6/status/517360476527681536
i love making those sausage balls with bisquick and cheese they are so yummy
Jessica w´s last blog post ..Amazing Peanut Butter Nutella Shake!
I Also tweeted https://twitter.com/jessrwarfield/status/517385692826337280
Jessica+w´s last blog post ..Amazing Peanut Butter Nutella Shake!
Goat cheese and fig jam on crackers is always good.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/517403219597615104
Baked Brie with pepper jelly!
Spinach dip
Chicken wings is my go to appetizer!
Deviled Eggs
Hosting a shower on Sunday and having Smoked Sausage in BBQ sauce appetizers.
I always make deviled eggs and never have any left, no matter how many I bring.
that’s easy! i love a good caprese salad !:) so yummy, my absolute favorite!!
Thank you! xoxox
courtney b´s last blog post ..It’s National Coffee Day!!!
tweet
https://twitter.com/MeandBells/status/518167380925894656
I too like to make Deviled Eggs (then my brother eats them ALL, always), a cheese plate with some hummus and olives is my usual speed. I must say that your food always looks so beautifully presented and until this day I did not know what manchego even was!
Thank you, Margot! Manchego is my favorite cheese. 🙂 ~Kathy
I posted a tweet too: https://twitter.com/AnnaZed/status/518266262766354432
I love to serve stuffed mushrooms. (sausage, cream cheese and green onions)
https://twitter.com/1amypugmire/status/518354244508717057
I assemble organic grape tomatoes, a mozzarella cheese pearl and an arugula leaf on a festive, decorative toothpick for the occasion. I keep them in the refrigerator, and then lightly drizzle with balsamic vinegar right before the gathering.
My go to is asparagus quiche.
I love to serve cocktail wieners for my appitizer.
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/my4boysand1/status/518563903610290177
My go-to favorite appetizer to serve at a gathering is ham and Swiss sliders.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/518610678085849088
I like to serve spinach and artichoke dip
I like cheese and crackers or chicken dip and chips.
My go to appetizer is shrimp cocktail
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/518932840520908801
As a few others have mentioned, my go-to appetizers are caprese skewers. As a child of the 70’s, however, I never pass on a deviled egg when a tray comes my way!:)
My husband loves cheese and vegetable trays. Quite often, I will make a special cheeseball rolled in herbs or spices for the center of the cheese tray and a flavorful dip for the center of the vegetable tray.
My favorite snack is potato chips and onion dip.
My favorite appetizer is my homemade spinach dip! Always a hit!!
As a low carber, it is snap peas and hummus, and meat and cheese for us.
Johnsonville mild Italian sausage with onions and peppers in rolled filo dough cut into bite size pieces placed on a platter. Dipping sauces of spicy brown mustard and marinara sauce-yum.
I like to whip up some bruschetta with some fresh bread
https://twitter.com/eliza_elliott/status/519590921612967937
I PREFER VEGGIE DIPS FOR THEM!
https://twitter.com/kytah00/status/519717798595928064
i like Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Bundles
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/519824392746840064
pigs in a blanket
Sausage balls!
Beer cheese dip!
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
Erika´s last blog post ..The Beginning: My Own Birth Story (Written By My Mama)
I always make chicken nut puffs pryfamily5@gmail.com
i tweeted https://twitter.com/dapryz5/status/520378103411908608 pryfamily5@gmail.com
I love serving Crabbies! English muffins baked with crabmeat, cheese, butter and spice mixture.
My favorite appetizer to serve is a veggie tray.
I like to have lil smokies with bbq sauce
cshell090869 at aol dot com
here is the correct link
https://twitter.com/cshell202/status/520941621555511296
“Home Rolled” Sweet ‘n Sour Meatballs are always a crowd pleaser, often made with a jar of my own Hot Pepper Jelly recipe!
My favourite appetizer is little tomatoes with some caramel and sesame on the top 😉 Simple and delicious !
My tweet https://twitter.com/AurelieRed/status/521026588700188672
My go-to favorite appetizer is nothing fancy, just an assortment of nibbles, like spiced nuts, homemade crackers with a cheese spread, and pita chips with hummus.
I tweeted about your lovely appetizer recipe as well as the Johnsonville promotion:
https://twitter.com/NotherAnneOther/status/521064025606852608
Mine would be spinach dip, chips, crackers and cheese.
https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/521429966052163586
I like to serve mini quiches.
My favorite go to appetizers to serve are Buffalo Chicken Wonton Wraps. Thank you so much for the opportunity to enter.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/HeartnSoulmom/status/521440171234181121
Guacamole, black bean dip, and homemade chips
I make a rosemary focaccia bread that is so yummy, I don’t usually even top it.
tweeted – https://twitter.com/dmarie824/status/522585742359269378
My go to appetizer is baked brie
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/kjmaje/status/522698498106736640
My go-to appetizer is my BBQ Meatballs. I throw a few small bags of frozen meatballs in the crockpot, add equal parts BBQ sauce and grape jelly (12 0z or 16 oz work best), stir it all together and set it on low if the party is much later or high if its in a few hours and they are always devoured.
TWEET!
https://twitter.com/samdaleo/status/522736266522030082
my fave fall appetizer is my own rustic bread with melted cheese.
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/leedhowell/status/522762975963541504
I usually have cheese & crackers, chips, dip, olives and summer sausage
as appetizers.
I love to make caprese kabobs!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/523559304239259648
My go to favorite app is bacon wrapped shrimp.. you cannot go wrong!
My go to appetizer is British Sausage rolls, people love them.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/523602061472964610
Sausage and bead with a cheese fondue to dip in or a hot mustard sauce to dip the sausage in
sausage with hot mustard sauce to dip in
We love Baked Brie and figs from our fig tree! Love using the rosemary skewers and can’t wait to try this!
Fresh tomatoes from my garden with melted goat cheese.
Antipasto kabobs are always a hit
Lately we’ve been making these appetizers that consist of a date with a piece of good parmesan cheese stuffed inside, and then a pecan half on top. They’re really yummy!
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/526156840850059265
i make bacon wrapped mini sausages drenched in a brown sugar glaze
https://twitter.com/raggammuffin/status/526352178756481024
I make palm size pizzas! I make pizza all the time, including the dough and I also like making small baby size ones! You can put all kinds of toppings on appetizer size pizzas, and I do!
Buffalo chicken dip!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/526890964401405952
Yum – I love figs. My go to is french bread rounds with pesto, a pice of sun dried tomato and a bit of brie melted on top 🙂
Mini rolls stuffed with tuna salad.
I like to make shrimp skewers as an appetizer.
I like cheese stuffed croissants.
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/528437905195540480
Cheese and crackers.
i love to make deviled eggs
i usually do a fruit and cheese tray with crackers
i posted a tweet here:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/528714502167363584
I love to stack an appetizer of sliced smoked sausage, quartered artichoke heart, a bit of roasted red pepper, sundried tomato & a basil leaf. I skewer everything so that the sausage is at the bottom as the base. It’s a bit of a mouthful but the best way to eat is to pop the entire stack at once….a big mouthful….but the combination of flavors always gets rave reviews!
wrong link https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/528729603913707523
i love serving deviled eggs
tweeted
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/528959082619998209
I like to serve cheese and crackers
tweeted- https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/528994537088507905
I love to make a spinach queso dip to serve with tortilla chips!
I always get raves over my deviled eggs.
Thanks for the contest.
italian meatballs
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/529041929674059776
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/529044165179355137
My go-to favorite appetizer to serve at a gathering is sausage stuffed mushrooms.
Tweeted.
https://twitter.com/birdiebee52/status/529046657418014721
bacon wrapped shrimp is my go-to.
Mini cheesy bacon quiches!