Sauced
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[Photographs: Joshua Bousel]

About the author: Joshua Bousel brings you new, tasty condiment each Wednesday and a recipe for weekend grilling every Friday. He also writes about grilling and barbecue on his blog The Meatwave whenever he can be pulled away from his grill.

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About This Recipe

Yield: makes about 3 cups
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
This recipe appears in: Sauced: Sausage Gravy

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb bulk pork breakfast sausage
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons butter, as needed
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Procedures

  1. Place sausage in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook sausage, breaking apart with wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate, leaving drippings in pan. If less than 3 tablespoons of drippings remain, melt enough butter in pan to equal about 3 tablespoons.

  2. Whisk flour into sausage drippings and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture turns light brown, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  3. Stir in sausage, sage (if using), and crushed red pepper (if using). Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately.