First off, make your own sausage. It couldn't be easier. There are tons of great breakfast sausage recipes on the ol' 'net. If you don't have a sausage grinder or attachment for your Kitchen Aid (assuming you have one), you can make it in your food processor.
And, to answer your preference question, patties. As already mentioned, you get that wonderful browning right on the meat that results in a nice crust. And, you really don't lose much, if any, fat (AKA flavor) cooking patties. We use the steam and brown method when cooking patties. Put the patties into a hot pan that contains just a small amount of oil just to start browning. Add a small amount of water and clamp on a lid for a few minutes to cook the patties. After a few minutes, remove the lid and allow whatever water might be left to evaporate and to allow the patties to brown up nicely. Not "quick" as you asked about, but your patience will be rewarded. And, there will be a bit of spatter.
I meant to add, that if links are the only choice, that's fine for me. My preference is patties first, links second.