Sausage Gravy

I volunteered to make breakfast for my co-workers a week ago.  Every Friday someone brings breakfast and it was my turn.  I should have learned my lesson by now but clearly I haven't.  Cooking for a crowd is a difficult task and yes I could have just gotten bagels like everyone else does but that's not really my style.  I like people to ooooh and ahhhh over a homemade breakfast; so I torture myself every so often.  For them.  Because I'm thoughtful and giving.

And nuts.

I needed a plan.  I've done a lot of breakfasts for my job over the years but it's a whole different story when you have a toddler in the house. I didn't want to make something that required me getting up at the crack of dawn.  I wanted something I could make the night before and then just re-heat when I got it to work.  There is no oven at work, just microwaves so I needed a good plan.  I did use some store bought help with this one.  I bought frozen biscuits so that helped tremendously.  The star of this show was the gravy anyway; not the biscuits.

I was totally shocked to learn that some people hadn't ever had biscuits and gravy before.  Seriously.  I thought everyone had had them at some point in their lives; especially in the South!  Whatever, everyone seemed to like them.

Start by browning 1 pound of sausage.  The picture above is actually 2 pounds; I had to multiply this recipe by 8 in order to have enough for my co-workers.

Once brown, move the sausage to a bowl and keep the grease in the pan. Did I mention this is NOT a diet meal? Sorry.

Melt some butter in with the grease.  Again - the picture above is for a crowd; hopefully you won't use almost an entire stick in your gravy at home.

Add the flour to the butter and grease mixture and cook for about 2 minutes.

After the flour has been incorporated you want the mixture to cook until it begins to get Amber in color.

Now it's time to add the milk. Slowly add the milk while whisking so that there aren't any clumps.

Once thickened; add the reserved sausage back into the pan.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Reduce heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve over biscuits or toast or whatever floats your boat.

Recipe found Sausage Gravy

1 (12 ounce) package sausage
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat.  Once brown; remove the meat to a separate bowl and keep the grease in the pan.  Add the butter and melt.  Add the flour and whisk in until smooth; cook until light brown.  Add the milk while whisking and cook until thick.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Return the meat to the gravy, reduce the heat to low and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.