Biscuits and Gravy

Ingredients

• 8 baked buttermilk biscuits, warm
• 1 lb pork breakfast sausage
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk, plus more as needed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, only if sausage is very lean

Instructions

Follow each step in order. The directions below are written so a beginner can understand what to do, what to look for, and when to move on to the next step.

1. Step 1.Bake or warm the biscuits according to your preferred recipe so they are hot and ready at roughly the same time as the gravy.
2. Step 2.Place a large heavy skillet over medium heat, add the breakfast sausage, and break it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon.
3. Step 3.Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until no pink remains and the sausage develops browned edges, leaving about three tablespoons of rendered fat in the pan.
4. Step 4.If the sausage is unusually lean, add the butter and let it melt so there is enough fat to properly cook the flour.
5. Step 5.Sprinkle the flour evenly over the sausage and stir continuously for about 1 minute until every crumb is coated and the raw flour smell fades.
6. Step 6.Slowly pour in about one cup of milk while stirring and scraping the skillet bottom, then add the remaining milk in stages to prevent lumps.
7. Step 7.Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy thickens enough to coat a spoon.
8. Step 8.Season with black pepper, optional red pepper flakes, and only as much salt as needed after tasting the sausage gravy.
9. Step 9.If the gravy becomes too thick, stir in a splash of milk; if too thin, continue simmering gently for another minute or two.
10. Step 10.Split the warm biscuits, spoon the hot sausage gravy generously over the halves, and serve immediately before the biscuits soften too much.