Most of my recipes don't have measurements. I look and taste as I proceed, so that's why I'm good at dinner items but a failure as a baker. A baker must measure very accurately, blend precisely, or her product looks like one of mine.
Biscuits and sausage gravy is something that must be watched to get it right.
Here's what you need on hand:
Bisquick Baking Mix
Milk
Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage in the one-pound tube
White flour
I use Bisquick for the biscuits and follow the directions on the package. I can get through that much directing, but I usually just pat them out rather than get involved with a rolling pin. Put em in the oven. Set the timer, but watch them for the right color when done.
Now, the sausage gravy just needs the right start. I use Jimmy Dean Regular, Hot, or Sage. Nothing else, no other brand seems to get the same result. I think it's because there is just the right amount of sugar, spice and fat in this product. It's pretty lean, but not too lean, and the quality of the pork used is good. Spices are well-balanced, too.
Get a heavy skillet down. I use All-Clad, but here is an ideal use for that well-seasoned cast iron frying pan that was passed down to you from Grandma (or bought on impulse at an estate sale because it looked cool).
Brown the sausage at medium heat. Smush it around so it's cooking in a crumbly state. This will take awhile and this is where the magic is. Keep browing it until it is really, really brown. It's going to look like it's getting too dry, but it isn't really. Be patient. When it's all goldeny-brown, sprinkle about three tablespoons of white flour over it, then stir that around so the flour gets heated. Just a minute or two. When you cook the flour like this, you avoid a pasty taste, it's much smoother.
Now stir in a cup or two of milk. You can turn the heat up a bit, since you've been so patient with the browning of the sausage. As the contents of the pan come to a boil, it will thicken nicely for you. If it's too thick you can always add more milk. Your gravy is going to be darker in color than you normally see in other people's kitchens. That's very ok.
You can "stretch" this gravy by increasing the flour and milk. After you've made this a few times, you'll know how to adjust it to your liking.
Split the hot biscuits and spoon the sausage gravy as you like it. I like to grind a little black pepper on top.
This dish is great with fresh applesauce, also very easy. Use two or three gravensteins if you can get them, otherwise any variety with a tartness will do. Red and yellow delicious are really not very delicious and won't work very well.
Peel and core the apples. Cube up the fruit and put it in a small saucepan. Add just a splash of water and some sugar (be conservative, you can always add more later). Slow boil this like you might boil potatoes for mashing (because you are doing the same thing with the apple, with the exception of draining water). If you haven't put too much water in, and if you've kept an eye on the pot and didn't scorch it, you simply smush em up with a fork and you get excellent applesauce. The apples make all the difference here. Experimenting with varieties gets you the favorite balance between sweet and tart. You can dress it up by putting a few dried cranberries or raisins in with the apples at the beginning. Cinnamon is good, too, but I really like my plain.
