Italian Eggplant Sausages

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 12-inch long Japanese eggplants (peeled using a vegetable peeler)
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 12-inch hoagie rolls (light and crisp like French bread)
• deli mustard
• Potato, Onion, and Pepper Topping (Take 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 diced medium potato, 1 diced onion & 1 diced green pepper, browned on high heat for about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and simmer for another 3 minutes. Add salt & pepper and set aside until ready to assemble!)

Here's how to make this dish:

1. In a large bowl, pour olive oil over the peeled eggplants and rub it in so that all of the oil is absorbed.
2. In a small bowl make a spice mixture using the fennel, red pepper flakes, sage, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
3. Generously rub each eggplant with the spice mixture.
4. Place eggplants in a plastic bag in the refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour (or marinate overnight to save prep time!)
5. Once done marinating, cook eggplants over medium heat using a cast-iron grill pan.
6. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until well-marked by the grill grates. (Total of 12 to 16 minutes or until heated through.)
7. Serve on warm rolls that have been slathered in mustard and stuffed with the Potato, Onion, and Pepper Topping.