I'll be the first to say that I'm a fan of McDonald's breakfast sandwiches. Just like I'm a sucker for a gas station chuckwagon, but that's a different story. So it gives me great pleasure to recreate one of these fast food morning delights by Frankensteining it into something even better.

The McGriddle is classic: pancakes, eggs, sausage, maybe some cheese. Great breakfast fair when you're in a hurry. For my version, I've subbed and added elements like venison chorizo sausage, double microwave egg, and triple layers of wild rice pancakes as an ode to the Big Mac, finished with spicy hollandaise to make it messy and round it all out.

Yup, I did say microwave egg. If you've ever had a McMuffin, you know that the egg on that breakfast sandwich is a perfectly round over medium-hard egg. Your microwave will recreate that; trust me, don't knock it until you try it. I also like to use a quality store-bought buttermilk pancake mix for this recipe. Sure, you could whip up a batter yourself, and by all means, do so if you'd like, but I'm all for the simplicity of just adding cooked wild rice and liquid. Plus, this recipe calls for quite a bit of scratch cooking already.

The guajillo pepper and garlic paste makes the chorizo and gives the sausage its vibrant color. I double-batched the recipe because it's always nice to have some in the freezer for other applications. However, you could easily use aregular breakfast sausageinstead. There's also no reason you couldn't douse the whole thing in maple syrup, but the hollandaise brings an extra level of decadence. Let's just say you won't be biting into this behind the wheel.

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1. Cook the wild rice: make sure to rinse the rice a few times. Seasons lightly with salt and simmer until fully cooked. Set aside to cool.
2. Make the chorizo. Start by soaking the guajillo peppers in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are soft. Make sure the stems, ribs, and seeds are removed. Puree the peppers with the garlic and ¼ cup of the liquid used to reconstitute the peppers. Add all of the chorizo ingredients into a large bowl and mix by hand until everything is just combined. Set aside.
3. Make the hollandaise. In a small pot, clarify the butter, strain, and set aside. Separate three egg yolks into a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the butter, beating vigorously until the sauce forms and thickens. Halfway through, add a teaspoon or two of warm water. Finish by whisking in the lemon juice, a touch of hot sauce, and season with salt to taste.
4. Make the pancakes: Make two cups of dry mix according to the instructions and mix in the cooked wild rice. Make twelve pancakes. Either cook them in molds, like quart jar rings, or cut out even circles after they are done.
5. Make the eggs: You're only going to be able to do two of these at a time. Every microwave cooks things differently as well. I generally cook eggs for about 90 seconds at 60%-70% power. You'll have to experiment a little here. Or fry an egg or go the folded scrambled route. Melt the cheese on top of the eggs.
6. Cook the chorizo: Smash the chorizo patties in a hot cast iron skillet to get the outsides nice and crispy.
7. Assemble the sandwiches: This is Big Mac style, so start with a pancake, add sausage, the cheesy egg, and a pancake, and repeat. Pour on the hollandaise and/or maple syrup wherever you want and enjoy! If you really want to copy the fast food breakfast, buy some frozen hash brown patties and serve them with the sandwich.

Tip: To avoid rushing yourself, keep the oven on around 250ºF and keep each sandwich element warm as you make them—or go big and try to do everything at once.