Upside-Down Sausage-Apple Cornbread

I got this recipe out of a local newspaper about 12 years ago. It makes a nice breakfast or brunch dish.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb pork sausage link
• 4  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 4  small apples, peeled cored, and sliced into eighths
• 1  cup flour
• 3⁄4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3  tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1  tablespoon baking powder
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  egg, lightly beaten
• 4  tablespoons butter, melted
• 1  cup milk

Directions

1. Grease bottom and sides of a 8" or 9" square baking pan.
2. Brown the sausages in a medium skillet over moderately high heat, rotating them until browned and cooked through.
3. Remove the sausage and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings.
4. Add butter and brown sugar to the pan.
5. Heat, stirring until sugar is melted.
6. Add apples and saute them over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until soft (about 10 min).
7. Arrange sausages in rows across the prepared pan.
8. Insert the apple slices, round side down, between the sausages, wedging them in tightly.
9. Pour over juices from the skillet (the pan can be covered and refrigerated overnight at this point, if desired).
10. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
11. Preheat oven to 400°F
12. To make cornbread, stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
13. Add the egg, melted butter and milk.
14. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
15. Pour the batter over the sausage and apples, smoothing the top to cover well.
16. Bake for 25 minutes or until cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean.
17. Remove from oven.
18. Immediately invert onto a serving dish.
19. Cut into squares and serve.