Restaurant Style Gravy Goodness at Home

Good gravy can be based on pan drippings to coordinate all the flavors or built on the side to compliment the items it is served with. Either way, it can make breakfast or dinner a more memorable meal. You can make a more bright white country gravy than this recipe if you choose too. It will have a more standalone flavor profile based entirely on the seasonings that you add. This recipe is based more toward a pan drippings style so it will be slightly darker but will carry much more flavor.

Basics

A classic pan gravy at home usually uses a slurry technique. Mix the desired amount of flour into cold water or milk until smooth, usually 2 parts fluid to one part flour. Slowly add this to your drippings and stock, bring that to a light simmer to finish thickening up.

The only negative is that you don’t know if you have the right amount of thickening agent for the texture that you want. Using roux, you can bring the base to a full boil and start to whisk in the roux in small amounts until you reach the desired consistency. This is especially valuable when making either gravy and sauces, or soups.

During soup season you can also make a larger batch of butter based roux and keep it in your freezer to use for the next couple months. One last aspect of roux is that the flour can actually be used as a flavor component.

If you keep the roux moving in a pan over medium-high heat it will begin to brown. The darker it gets the more of a nutty flavor the toasted flour adds. Just be certain not to scorch it.

The Meat

One of the bigger flavor components in country gravy is the sausage. Unfortunately breakfast sausage is trending away from traditional seasoning, generally in the direction of more salty or more sweet. There’s nothing wrong with a brown sugar or maple flavored sausage. With the delicate flavors of a country gravy it is often better to steer away from these types of sausage because they can overpower the end result. Find a mild breakfast sausage and we’ll push it toward a traditional taste with seasonings.

Country Gravy Ingredients

Country Gravy Recipe

In a skillet, brown until cooked through;

• 3-4 ounces breakfast sausage in bits
• 3-4 strips bacon diced finely

Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add to the warm skillet and stir together;

• cup flour

The roux should have a paste like texture. Keep moving it in the skillet over medium-high heat until fully integrated and hot throughout.

You can microwave the milk for this step to speed things up. In a saucepan;

• 2 cups hot milk

Bring to a soft boil and whisk the roux in in small amounts. If you have a stick blender it will move the process along. When smooth and back to a soft boil, remove from heat and add;

• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1 t sage
• 1 t black pepper
• Salt to taste

Whisk until smooth, add in the cooked bacon and sausage. It is ready to do its’ duty as a savory topper to chicken fried steak, biscuits or taters.