By reader request, I’m posting the directions for my sausage gravy to go with my flaky southern style biscuits [1]. I have a bacon gravy recipe [2] up and several other gravy recipes, but no sausage. The thing with gravy is, it’s more of a feel than exact measurements. And it is definitely not a recipe you can walk away from. Once you have it down, you’ll know it like the back of your hand. I had to make it this weekend to remeasure because gravy is something I do on sight, so I had no idea what the measurements were. The basic rules are like this:
- Breakfast Gravy and Chicken Fried Anything = Cream Gravy = Milk and Flour base
- Meat Gravy (i.e. Turkey, Chicken, Beef, etc = Brown Gravy = Water or Broth and Flour base
- Mashed Potatoes = BROWN GRAVY I am seriously affronted by cream gravy on mashed potatoes
The other important method of gravy is how you incorporate your fat, flour, and liquid components. For cream gravies, I usually use a roux method – or browning your flour in the fat before incorporating the liquid. For meat gravies, I usually combine my flour and liquid first then add to the fat. That’s the way I was taught to make gravy, so why mess with what works? In retrospect, my mother often used Wondra flour – which is more easily dissolved in in cold or hot liquids than regular all-purpose flour, so perhaps that’s why we combined it first? I stopped using Wondra in college because a nutrition teacher swore Wondra flour was the most grave sin a person could commit when making gravy. She was a bit extreme, but my parents paid good money for that class so by golly I was going to learn from it ; ) That said, Mom – don’t change your method, you weren’t officially present in that class so you can just keep on sinning and pretend you’ve never heard such a thing in your life. Your gravy is excellent, don’t mess with perfection!
Anyhow, the important thing is to start with low heat when incorporating, whisk like crazy until you feel like your arm will fall off, and never panic. If it looks to thin, it won’t thicken until it starts to boil. If it looks to thick, you can always add more liquid. And salt can cure a multitude of sins. For that matter, I don’t see why you couldn’t treat it like pudding and throw it in the blender in a pinch if you couldn’t correct the lumps.
Sausage Gravy Recipe
1 package breakfast sausage
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 and 1/4 c. milk, I use 1%
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
Brown your sausage in a heavy bottomed skillet on medium heat. Remove sausage to a plate. Add flour to the remaining fat and brown, scraping up any brown bits from the sausage. You want it to resemble a paste. Keep browning, if it looks too crumbly, add a teensy bit of bacon grease to the mixture. (Always keep a coffee cup of bacon grease in your fridge for cooking and seasoning!) If it looks to wet, add just a little bit of flour to adjust. This picture is what you want yours to look like – but it’s a double recipe, so you’ll have less paste!
When you can smear the mixture across the bottom of your pan with a gentle nudge from your spatula, you’re ready to add your milk. Turn heat to low, If you’re right-handed, hold the milk in your left hand and your whisk in your right. Pour the milk in a slow stream, while whisking furiously with your right hand. Keep going until all your milk is added, then keep right on whisking. After about 3 minutes turn your heat to medium, still whisking. After about 3 more minutes, turn your heat to high, whisking all the while. When it begins to boil, gauge your thickness and whisk in additional milk if needed. If after it boils it’s still too thin, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 1/4 cup of milk in a cup, then whisk that into your gravy. Return to a boil. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste, then serve. Enjoy!
Don’t forget to book your holiday cooking class [3] by emailing lane@dinnerandconversation.com spaces are filling up quickly!
Weekly Menu Week of October 19th
Order by email to lane@dinnerandconversation.com or cook along side me at home with recipes from dinnerandconversation.com
Chicken Marsala [4] over angel hair pasta $24
Flank Steak [5] with Herb Sauce served with Basmati white rice $22
Roasted Turkey Breast served with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy $18
Roasted Shrimp [6] with Lemon Basil Orzo $28
Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto $10
Fresh Lemon Cupcakes $2 each
Fresh Blackberry Cupcakes $2 each
Lemon Artichoke Pesto [7] $8