Sausage Gravy Breakfast
August 28, 2017 by Nicole Collins
Today's recipe is in memory of my daddy.
Because today is his birthday.
My daddy was born on 8-28-28. That would've made him 89 years old today.
I'll give all of you that remember that I'm only 32 years old a minute to process that.
There was a pretty big age gap between my parents (33 years to be exact), but my daddy was the best daddy a girl could ask for. Cancer gave him his angel wings much too soon, in my opinion. But, I'm lucky enough to have some very specific memories of him.
My daddy was from Tennessee, so naturally, he was a great southern cook. I was almost 7 when he passed, but I can still taste some of his signature dishes like I just had them yesterday. The ones that stick out in my mind are corn bread, bean soup, and sausage gravy.
I wish sooooo badly that I had been old enough to know that I'd want to know his recipes. Not that he had recipes. He was a “little of this, little of that” kind of cook. I would do anything for a bowl of his bean soup again. I've asked some family members if anyone knows how to make it, but came up with nothing.
I also remember that he use to eat cornbread in a bowl of cold buttermilk. So weird, but I can still taste it. It must've been one of his favorites, because I remember him eating that all of the time.
But, one of my favorite things that he made was sausage gravy. He kept it really simple. It was a basic flour and milk gravy with sausage that he served over plain white bread. That's it. Not a lot of frills or flair, but my mouth is watering right now remembering the taste of it.
I've come close to replicating that taste, but it's never really been the same. So, I've come up with my own version of sausage gravy that I'll serve to my future children some day.
I love a nice peppery white gravy, so I use a decent amount of freshly cracked black pepper in this. You don't want to use the canned black pepper for this if you don't have to. You can really taste the difference. Feel free to reduce the amount of black pepper in this recipe if you don't want it to be quite as spicy from the pepper.
I also use bacon grease as the fat component of my gravy. I find that the sausage doesn't give off enough grease for me, and using bacon fat just adds another layer of salt and flavor that I really like. I keep bacon grease in the freezer so that I always have it on hand when I need it, but you could also just use butter to start the roux.
We're stepping up our sausage gravy game by thinking beyond the white bread. Most people like to eat sausage gravy over a biscuit, and I'm totally for that. But, we're completing the meal by adding some scrambled eggs and some cheddar cheese to our breakfast game. Sooooooo good!
This is one of those meals that I eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The sausage gravy can be stored in the fridge if you're not serving 4 people at once. It really thickens up when it cools, but popping it in the microwave for a minute will get it back to a normal consistency. And it's quick and easy. Who doesn't love that?!?
I hope my daddy would be happy with my version of a sausage gravy breakfast. And I hope he's got a feast spread out for him in heaven today.
Enjoy, and let's eat!
Sausage Gravy Breakfast
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
8 oz breakfast sausage
1 tbsp bacon grease (or butter)
2 tbsp flour
2 cups + ¼ cup 2% milk, at room temperature and divided
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
8 eggs
4 jumbo buttermilk biscuits, cooked according to package directions
½ cup shredded cheddar
Directions:
Make the Sausage Gravy: Melt bacon grease in a non stick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Whisk 2 tbsp flour in to leftover grease in pan until combined and smooth. Cook for 1 minute. Pour in 2 cups milk, constantly whisking to incorporate with flour and break up clumps. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add sausage back to gravy along with ½ tsp salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat. The gravy will thicken as it sits.
Make the scrambled eggs: In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, ¼ cup milk, and salt and pepper, to taste. Heat large non stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium high heat. Pour eggs in to pan. Cook for 10-12 minutes until eggs have set, constantly moving the eggs around the pan.
To assemble: Divide the biscuits in half. Top with scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, and shredded cheese. Serve.
Recipe notes:
*I like to keep fresh ground black pepper in a small jelly jar in the kitchen so I always have it on hand. I take peppercorns and ground them in a spice grinder so I can have an abundance at all times.
*The sausage gravy is nice and peppery. That's the way I like it. Feel free to use less black pepper if you don't want it to be as strong.
*Every time I make bacon, I reserve the grease and keep it in the freezer. That way, I can have bacon grease whenever I need it.
*I cheat and use refrigerator biscuits, but please use your favorite biscuit recipe if you'd prefer.
