It's a staple of a great southern breakfast. The Picky Eater practically won't consider it breakfast unless there's gravy on the table. It's great over homemade biscuits or scrambled eggs.
Difficulty
Easy
Makes
8 Servings
Tools
Cast Iron Skillet (medium)
Time
Prep Time 15 min.
Cook Time 30 min.
Total Time 45 min.
The How To Do It
Break the sausage up into small pieces and cook it over medium heat until it starts to brown and is cooked through. About 10-15 minutes.
Once the sausage is cooked, it should have rendered off about 2 tablespoons of fat. If it has not, then simply add some canola or other oil that does not have a lot of flavor to the skillet.
Add the flour and stir/whisk the flour, sausage and oil together until everything is coated thoroughly. Continue to stir the mixture for around 5 minutes. You'll want to stir constantly to keep it from burning, but you do want to cook the flour a bit. you're really starting the base of a roux.
Start adding the milk in a 1/4-cup at a time. You could add the whole thing in at once, but you run the risk of creating lumps. Adding smaller amounts and mixing them together until it is a smooth sauce keeps this from happening. To be honest, lumps aren't really a big deal here. The sausage adds "lumps" anyway, but lets not start slacking off here.
Once the milk has be combined, and you have a creamy and smooth sauce, add the smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
Once everything has been combined you can set the gravy aside until it is needed, simply place it over an eye on the lowest setting you have to keep it warm. If it starts to thicken when you go to serve it, add a little more milk to it to thin it back out.