Iron Skillet Sausage Gravy
By Yankee Magazine|Apr 18 2007|
Although there are variations, this is the never-fails, how-to-basics for our family’s Sausage Gravy. This is a necessary skill we hand down through the family, for the first person awake on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Oh, and we always use just bread, or leftover biscuits.
Yield
4 or more
Ingredients
Middle 2/3 of any favorite roll-sausage (even Sage)
Milk
Water (if short on milk)
1-3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
Pepper (any kind, even red)
Paprika (optional substitution for pepper)
1 teaspoon any green spice (optional)
Instructions
Cut the roll of sausage to include at least the nutritional sticker information. Stick ends together and plastic wrap or bag for future use.
Place the sausage in a 10″ or larger iron skillet, turn on heat to medium, and begin the tedious process of breaking up the sausage (a two-tined fork works best.) Brown sausage, but do not overcook.
When sausage is rendered and no longer pink, pour off grease leaving same amount of grease in pan as flour to add. Add flour and stir to coat sausage and cook to bind w/fat and remove any flour taste. Do not overbrown, but at appropriate time, flood the skillet with milk. If there is not enough for halfway up the pan, add HOT tap water. If heat is on low, turn up to medium or at least medium-low, depending on how many other sleeping people you have. If anyone is awake, use medium. Generally you will only know by taking your much-needed bathroom break, here. If in doubt, stay low. As gravy comes up to heat, it will bubble, but avoid full boil.
Now it becomes necessary to scrape bottom and sides of pan while stirring. You may now add salt and pepper to taste, using discretion, while lowering heat. The reason for the optional green spice is to make the others ask “what’s in this?” if you have a cooperative family. Stir so that you get an integrated gravy. it will separate if overcooked.
