From a Las Vegas native's point of view

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

This recipe is unquestionably all-American. There’s nothing fancy or complicated about it and there are very few variations. It’s comforting, easy to make and an inexpensive way to feed a crowd. With roots in classic Southern farmhouse cooking it doesn’t pretend to be healthy. It’s an indulgence worth walking off.

Because there are so few ingredients in this recipe it’s important that you use the very best sausage you can find. In Las Vegas a drive to the Sunflower Market (on Flamingo at Rainbow) is well worth the trip for their sausage. Top notch biscuits are also very important. Homemade are always the best but a very good brand of store bought biscuits are the Pillsbury frozen “Southern Style” biscuits (in the frozen food section) and work extremely well for this recipe. Black pepper also plays and important role here. Don’t be afraid to use a generous hand with the black pepper.

1 lb high quality bulk pork breakfast sausage
1 medium onion diced
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 ½ cups milk (not skim or fat free) plus additional if needed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh baked biscuits

Place the sausage in a medium saucepan and brown over medium high heat , breaking it up a bit without making the pieces too small. There should be some golden brown color on the sausage.

Remove the pan from the heat. Remove all but approximately 1/3 cup of the sausage drippings. Place the pan back over medium heat, add the diced onions and cook, stirring often till translucent.

Add the flour and stir to coat the sausage and the onions. Cook over medium heat for about a minute. Add all of the milk and stir well. Continue to gently stir and cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil. Add additional milk if gravy is too thick.

Remove from heat and taste for seasoning. Serve over hot biscuits with a generous grind of fresh black pepper. Serves 4-6 people.

Recipe can be doubled or tripled to feed a large crowd.