Sausage Gravy

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If you haven't had homemade sausage gravy since your grandparents made it, you might be surprised to know how easy it is to make.

Yield:
2 cups

There are certain recipes that are hallmarks of the South's comfort food. From fried chicken to grits, some recipes are non-negotiable Southern staples.

And if you ask us, sausage gravy belongs in that tasty canon.

If you haven't had homemade sausage gravy since the last time your grandparents made it, you might be surprised to know that it's not as difficult to make as you might think. All it takes is three ingredients, plus salt and pepper, along with some whisking to whip up this down-home favorite.

Sausage Gravy
Southern Living

The trick to a great sausage gravy is to brown the sausage in a skillet until it has a deep caramelization on the outside. Not only will the sausage taste better, the drippings will have also have a richer, tastier flavor to impart in the roux.

Since this recipe uses such few ingredients, it's important to find the best quality of each ingredient that you can. We promise you'll taste the difference if you use a high-quality whole milk from the grocery store or the farmers' market.

What's the best way to serve it? There's the classic settings like biscuits, chicken fried steak, or grits, but we also like to serve it with shrimp, rice, and a drizzle of Tabasco hot sauce.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. pork sausage

  • 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 1/3 cups milk

  • 1/2 tsp. salt

  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

  • 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

Directions

  1. Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink.

    Southern Living Sausage Gravy cooking the sausage in a cast iron skillet

    Dotdash Meredith

    Remove sausage, and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in skillet.

    Southern Living Sausage Gravy draining the sausage on paper towels

    Dotdash Meredith

  2. Add butter to drippings in skillet, and cook until melted, 1 minute. Whisk flour into hot fat until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. (Mixture will be crumbly initially, but should become smooth as it cooks.)

    Southern Living Sausage Gravy adding the flour to make a roux

    Dotdash Meredith

    Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened.

    Southern Living Sausage Gravy whisking in the milk

    Dotdash Meredith

    Southern Living Sausage Gravy cooking the gravy until thickened

    Dotdash Meredith

    Stir in sausage, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.

    Southern Living Sausage Gravy in the skillet after stirring the sausage back into the gravy

    Dotdash Meredith

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