So as a little kid, I had no idea biscuits and gravy was a thing. I lived in Utah, which is not a place where one encounters these things on a regular basis, and my mom just didn’t make it. We had our own foods and traditions and things and biscuits and gravy was not one of them. After my mom died and my dad remarried, I remember going to Salt Lake City with my step-mom and step-siblings. Instead of staying in a hotel like we always had with my mom, we stayed at my step-aunt’s condo. And for breakfast, we had biscuits and gravy. I could not even wrap my brain around such a thing. Why would someone, anyone do this? It sounded gross. It looked gross. I was so far out of my comfort zone and I just kind of felt like I had invaded someone else’s Thanksgiving dinner and I sat on my bed and sobbed. Heaven help all the step-parents out there. But all the step-kids, too, because man, it’s a hard place for everyone. It wasn’t until college when my roommate Sara (not OBB Sara, the Sara who also introduced me to this Spanish Rice recipe) showed me that biscuits and sausage gravy (and other kinds of meats in other kinds of gravy) are delicious and fit for consumption for all. This has become a staple at our house for busy nights, sad nights, happy nights, celebratory mornings. Basically, it’s like Joey from Friends and the Thanksgiving trifle–breakfast? Good. Dinner? Good. Late-night second dinner? Good. Fancy brunch? Good. Camping in the woods? Good. And it wasn’t until I had some really terrible biscuits and gravy on vacation in Texas last month (come on, Texas, represent!) that I realized this simple recipe is one everyone needs in their arsenal.
You’re going to need 12-16 ounces of breakfast sausage (stay away from the maple, unless you reallyreallyreally know you like maple-y meat in your creamy gravy), Tabasco sauce, salt, freshly ground black pepper, some flour, and milk (2% or whole, 1% if you’re really pushing it and like to break the rules…let’s just establish that while we can make this lighter, making it light will lead to some sorrow.) You’re also going to need some dehydrated onion. But, Kate, why? you ask. Why don’t you use the fresh onion? It’s a matter of personal preference–I’ve found that in order to get the level of onion flavor that I want, I have to use a lot of onion and I don’t like pieces of onion in my gravy. Plus, it’s easy. Just try it. You might like it. You’re also going to need biscuits. These Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits are my biscuits of choice in this situation, but you can also use these Cat Head Biscuits or biscuits from a mix or a can if that works better for you.
In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, crumble the sausage and cook, stirring frequently. When the sausage is about halfway cooked, add the dehydrated onion and a few shakes of Tabasco sauce (few being, like, 10 for me…more if you like it really hot, less if you’re concerned about heat.) When the sausage is cooked, add the flour and stir to coat completely. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in 1 cup of milk. When the mixture is thickened and bubbly, add another 2 cups of milk. Season to taste with salt, additional Tabasco sauce, and freshly ground black pepper (I like a lot of pepper…like I feel like this should have a distinct black pepper taste to it.) If necessary/desired, add up to 1 more cup of milk. To serve, break the biscuits in half and spoon the gravy over the biscuits. Eat immediately.
