Well…I had planned to do a whole month of healthier fare for January, but here we are with a sausage gravy recipe. There was only one vote on my Instagram poll to save this recipe for February! I’ll try to deliver on some of those healthier recipes, but I’m gathering that’s not why many of you enjoy my recipes. I mean, I’m here for the bacon, too. On that note, I’ve made some upgrades to HIH! You can now scale my recipes by two and three times AND the general nutrition information* will be available as well. Sorry for kicking off the nutrition information with a sausage gravy post, but you wanted sausage gravy!
The weather was extra frosty over the the New Year’s weekend so it just made sense to ignore any healthy eating initiatives and make a warming batch of my sage sausage gravy with biscuits. We all needed a good stick to your ribs breakfast before heading out into the weather. I doubled the recipe and there was not a drop left after this crew of 7 hungry hunters were finished. Everyone went back for seconds. This gravy will freeze really well, so I’m never afraid to make more than I think I might need.
Recipe Evolution
I grew up on truck stop and concession stand breakfast during my years showing horses. There’s almost always a biscuits and gravy on the menu and it’s usually pretty bland and has only a little bit of sausage. It did the job, but it wasn’t great. When I started perfecting my sausage gravy I knew I wanted it to be well seasoned with some spice and have the perfect meat to gravy ratio. I think I’ve achieved that! If you make it, let me know!
I love a spicy gravy, but not everyone can handle the heat, that’s why the red pepper flakes are optional. The combination of black pepper and white pepper don’t make the gravy overly hot, but add the perfect warm kick while the sage compliments the pork sausage perfectly. Sage and pork just seem to always go well together.
I don’t add salt to the gravy because the pork sausage is typically very well seasoned with salt. The secret ingredient that always has people wondering, is a touch of maple syrup. The touch of sweetness balances the salt and spice perfectly.
“This is the best gravy I’ve ever had,” has been exclaimed more than once wen we’ve served biscuits and gravy for breakfast. It never gets old. I think I’ve landed on the perfect sausage gravy recipe with this one!
Keys to Success
- The brown bits on the bottom of the pan are GOOD! Those brown bit will loosen from the bottom of the pan when you whisk in the milk and they are little flavor bombs adding deep flavor to your gravy.
- Add the milk slowly. I add my milk about a 1/2 cup at a time while whisking constantly. I don’t add more milk until the roux and the milk become a homogenous mixture. This will take less and less time as you keep adding milk. This is the key to a smooth and silky gravy. No one wants a lumpy, gritty gravy! I also did a whole post on making a great roux. Find it here.
- Taste, taste, taste. Seasoning as you go will create layers of flavor in your gravy. The seasoning in pork sausage can vary from mild to hot and bland to extra salty. By tasting your gravy as you go, you can take my starting point for seasonings and make little adjustments for the perfect gravy every time. You can always add more, but you can’t take away. Keep that in mind when adding additional seasoning. I don’t recommend adding more than a 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning at a time without tasting again.
Sage Sausage Gravy
Equipment
- 1 12" high sided skillet
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 2 paper towels
- 1 plate
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 lbs breakfast sausage
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 4 cups 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper + more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
- Optional: 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
Instructions
- Heat a large high sided skillet over medium-high heat and brown the breakfast sausage. Once browned and cooked through, remove the sausage from the pan and allow to drain on a paper towel.
- Evaluate the amount of fat rendered from the sausage. If less than 3 tablespoons, add some butter or bacon fat to reach 3 tablespoons. If more than 3 tablespoons, carefully pour off the excess fat.
- Return the pan with the fat to the stove. Slowly whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat until the color is golden and the mixture smells like toasted, buttered bread; approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Slowly add the milk to the roux, about 1 cup at a time whisking constantly until fully incorporated before adding the next cup. Continue to cook until the gravy starts to thicken to a consistency which will coat the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the black pepper, ground sage, white pepper and maple syrup. Taste. Adjust spices to your liking.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the sausage back to the gravy. Cover and keep warm until serving over biscuits or eggs.
- This gravy can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days or sealed in freezer bags and frozen up to 3 months. Reheat slowly over low heat or in a slow cooker stirring frequently for best consistency.
Nutrition
Where’s the biscuit recipe?
You’ve noticed there’s only a recipe for my Sage Sausage Gravy in this post. That’s because I’ve found the most perfect frozen biscuit and I can’t justify the mess that homemade biscuits can cause. Yes, I know homemade biscuits are the gold standard of biscuits, but these frozen biscuits are so good, I will pick them every time over making from scratch.
I THOUGHT my favorite frozen biscuit was the Pillsbury Grand’s frozen buttermilk biscuit, until I had to try the Wal-mart Great Value brand version. The Great Value Frozen Buttermilk Biscuits changed my biscuit expectations forever. They bake up perfect with a crisp exterior and extra fluffy interior. They run about $3.50 for 20 biscuits. You can’t make 20 biscuits from scratch for $3.50 with the price of butter these days. Buy the frozen biscuits, you’re welcome!
*Nutrition information will depend on the specific ingredients you choose. Use as a general nutritional guide, not for exact values.
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