Blake's Bites and Bevs

Do you enjoy sausage gravy, or how about flaky puff pastry? Today we answer the question nobody asked for, why not combine the two?

Inspiration

As a kid I was no stranger to southern living recipes, my Mother was born and raised in NC, and we frequently were served collard greens, grits (extra butter, no exceptions), and even fried okra on occasion. But among these, there was one meal that I could NEVER get enough of; Biscuits and Gravy. I religiously asked for it any time I saw that sleeve of Jimmy Dean sitting in the fridge, and nobody made it as good as my mom. Nobody. Any restaurant I went to, no matter how “southern” they claimed to be, never seemed to make it as well and for years it blew my mind. Fast forward about 20 years and it is now a staple in my kitchen. I made a batch for my family for the first time a couple years ago, and my unbelievably picky son devoured 2 bowls worth of it, and to this day religiously asks for it for breakfast almost every time he sees that sleeve of breakfast sausage sitting in the fridge, life truly does go in a circle doesn’t? The added bit of uniqueness on this is that we will be making our sausage gravy first, and then placing it in some puff pastry to make “Breakfast Rolls”. An easy, handheld way to consume my favorite southern staple.

Ingredients

• One Sleeve Jimmy Dean Hot Pork Sausage (16 Ounces)
• 1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Sheet/8 Ounces Puff Pastry
• 1-1.5 Tbsp Ground Sage (optional)
• 1 Cup Whole Milk

That doesn’t seem like a lot, right? It isn’t, the sausage gravy alone is enough for a solid 10 minute breakfast meal if you place some store bought biscuits in the oven while it simmers, but the extra step of placing it into cut pastry squares only adds a few more minutes. Technically speaking, Jimmy Dean isn’t “breakfast sausage”, if you look at the packaging it simply states pork sausage, but I enjoy using it because A) It’s convenient, and B) I have found no other sausage on the market that is spicy and tastes this well. The heat isn’t overly spicy, but stands out well with the crazy amount of flour and milk going into this, so if you’re going for that classic breakfast sausage vibe then add in that ground sage to get you there. Let’s cook!

Directions

Step 1: Bring your pan to medium-high heat, and once at temp, take your sausage and place the entire roll of sausage onto the pan. Press down with either a spatula or your hand (please wash your hands before and after) almost like a smash burger to flatten out the sausage. Yes, it will feel a little ridiculous searing a giant loaf of pork like this, but the trick here is to get a good coat of browning before it gets broken up. Sear for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Step 2: Once browned. flip and sear for another 1-2 minutes. Take a spatula, wooden spoon, or meat mincer and start breaking down the sausage into grainy pieces. Don’t go too overboard, the best sausage gravy is one that has an even mix of smaller and larger pieces. Any tool will work, but a good meat mincer like this one will get the job done a little faster. Waiting until you have some browning will make this easier as well, as raw pork will just get stuck on your tool, check the picture below for the ideal consistency. Admittedly, I may have gotten distracted by a phone call and let the one side sear for an extra minute, not to worry! This is what we like to call “charred”, it’s not burnt. I swear.

Step 3: Once your slightly burnt sausage is cooked through, then it’s time to add your flour. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour and evenly coat all the sausage in the pan. **Please ensure you cook for an additional 1-2 minutes OR until no flour is visible on your sausage**. If you mix in the flour and don’t cook it off, your sausage gravy will have a gross, powdery taste from the uncooked flour. After cooking the flour taste off, add 1 cup of milk, bring the heat down to a medium or medium-low, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Step 4: Depending on your preference, you can either call the gravy done here, OR you can let it reduce a little further. Some people prefer it to be a little runnier, and some people enjoy a thicker gravy. Personally, I’m team thick. The picture above is what a slightly runny gravy will look like, but for personal preference and due to the fact this will go straight into a pastry, I will let this get a little thicker, which looks something like this:

Step 5: Take the sausage gravy off the heat, and let rest for a few minutes, enough time to get the puff pastry prepared. Dust flour onto a wooden counter, and roll out your puff pastry ever so slightly. Cut the pastry sheet into 24 even squares, take your cooled gravy, and spoon about 1/2 tbsp onto every OTHER square you just cut. You should have 12 plain squares, and 12 with the gravy on. Carefully, take the plain square, stretch it out with your hands to be slightly larger than the filled square, and cover. Tuck in the corners, and form the roll into a circle shape. Depending on your patience and/or skill at making these look pretty (I discovered that I have neither while making this), they may end up looking lumpy and a little sad. Not to fear! These will rise in the oven, and the finished roll will have a rustic look, almost like a traditional southern biscuit.

Step 6: Place your uncooked rolls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (listen, stop oiling your baking sheets. Use parchment paper, just trust me). Pop the rolls into the oven set to 375° and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Step 7: Remove from oven, let cool for 5-10 minutes. Plate these little bready nuggets of southern deliciousness, and enjoy as your feral 3.5 year old eats almost every single one.