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Breakfast Sausage Biscuits with Cream Gravy

Source of Recipe

From "Pig: King of the Southern Table" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"Once a breakfast staple at every roadside diner and family restaurant in the South, sausage biscuits with milk or cream gravy are no longer found on as many menus as before, and I suspect the main reason is because younger cooks simply don't know how (or don't want to go to the extra trouble) to make gravy. All of which, of course, is absurd, since, as this recipe illustrates, nothing is simpler or quicker than whipping up a little pan gravy to adorn one of the most delectable combinations in the entire Southern breakfast repertoire. One point I can't empathize enough is using a cast-iron skillet for this dish so that as much browned sausage debris as possible can be scraped off the bottom to give the gravy real character. Butter the extra biscuit halves and serve them on the side with plenty of fruit preserves."

List of Ingredients

For the biscuits:
â—¦ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 3 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
â—¦ ¾ cup milk
â—¦ 1 pound bulk pork sausage

For the gravy:
â—¦ 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
â—¦ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 ½ cups half-and-half
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 475° F.

To make the biscuits, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the shortening and cut it in with a pastry cutter or rub with your fingertips till the mixture is mealy. Gradually add the milk and stir just till the dough holds together and is still sticky. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface, knead about eight times, and form the dough with your hands into eight smooth rounds about 1 inch thick. Arrange the rounds on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart, bake in the upper third of the oven till golden brown, about 15 minutes, and keep warm.

With your hands, form the sausage meat into eight patties, fry the patties on both sides in a large cast-iron skillet over moderate heat till cooked through and nicely browned, about 15 minutes, drain on paper towels, and keep warm on a plate.

To make the gravy, pour off about half the fat from the skillet, add the butter to the skillet, and stir over moderate heat till the fats are incorporated, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Gradually add the flour, stir till it has absorbed the fats, and cook, stirring constantly, till the flour turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the half-and-half, stirring constantly till the gravy is thickened, smooth, and slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper and stir well.

To serve, split four of the biscuits in half and place two halves on warm serving plates. Top each half with a sausage patty, spoon hot gravy over the tops, and serve immediately with extra split biscuits and fruit preserves on the side.

Makes 4 servings