One Pot Sausage Gravy (with Biscuits)
Introduction: One Pot Sausage Gravy (with Biscuits)
Growing up in the South I fell in love with Biscuits 'n Gravy for breakfast. Some folks'll use a Country gravy which is really just thickened milk with salt 'n pepper. Some'll use Red-Eye gravy which usually involves ham drippin's and black coffee. But for the discriminatin' <PERSON>, nothin' says "Breakfast" like Sausage gravy! Maybe add some Cheese Grits or Shrimp 'n Grits, and some eggs done easy, but that's a whole 'nother Instructable. Or two.
This here will show you how to amaze your friends and family with your refined culinary skills and your extensive expertise in a culture much-maligned, little understood, and quintessentially American. Easily my most requested recipe and likely one of the simplest things I make, may I present:
(Biscuits 'n) Sausage Gravy
Supplies
EQUIPMENT
* Heavy, flat-bottomed Dutch oven or similar pot (since we're making 2 quarts of gravy, a 4-quart pot is a great size)
* Flat-tipped stirring utensil (a wooden spatula is perfect for scraping the bits off the bottom)
* Measuring cups and spoons (you DO have those, don't you?)
* Peppermill or spice-grinder (please, please, please do yourself a favor and get both of these items if you don't already have them)
* Ladle (for serving)
INGREDIENTS
* 2 quarts half & half (You could substitute milk, but why would you??)
* 1 lb bulk breakfast sausage (savory, not maple or something sweet. No affiliation with the company, but I recommend Jimmy Dean - Sage.)
* 1/2 cup white, all-purpose flour (nothin' fancy, just, you know, the stuff everyone has in the cupboard.)
* Salt, to taste (I start with 3/4 tsp of use Kosher salt and go up from there. If you use (iodized) table salt or a fine-grain salt, start with 1/2 tsp and increase more slowly. Gravy should be slightly saltier than expected to compensate for the plainness of the biscuit)
* Medium-coarse freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste (I insist on fresh-ground. If you don't already grind your own pepper as you use it, this single act will have the greatest impact on the quality of your food. 277
Pre-ground pepper is about as flavorful as the dust on your bookshelves and just as tasty. Which is to say, not at all!
* 1/4 tsp Rubbed sage, optional (If you use the sage sausage I recommended, you can omit this. Or, if you don't like sage you can omit it. I mean, it's your breakfast, do what you want! I'm not going to call the Food Police on you.)
ADDITIONAL ITEMS
* Biscuits (Make your own, buy them in a can, get them frozen, or use leftovers from your fried-chicken dinner the other night, just don't count this as a 2nd pot!)
Step 1: Heat Your Half & Half (& Maybe Throw Somethin' in the Oven)
The point here isn't to get it scalding hot, just to get it warm enough to cut down your cooking time later on. Might as well multi-task while you're frying up the sausage if it's going to help out in the long run. My Half & Half comes in a paper carton with a plastic spout. I open the carton, pull the sealed plastic tab, squeeze as much air out as I can, then put the cap back on. This way, when I microwave the carton and the liquid expands, it doesn't blow out into a mess. If yours still uses the old-school-fold-back flaps then you might want to either watch it closely and check it often so it doesn't bulge open, or you can put it in a 4-cup glass liquid measuring cup and heat it up that way, but then you're kinda breaking the "1-pot" rule, so... maybe buy the one with the plastic spout?
My microwave is 1100 watts, and I usually put both quarts (or a single half-gallon if that's what I have) in at once for about 5 minutes, then I shake it a couple of seconds, then back in for 3-4 more minutes. Again, the temperature isn't as important as using your time wisely and getting ahead of the game. 293