Biscuits and Gravy

While we were reading, By the Shores of Silver Lake, Clara and I were both oo-ing and aw-ing at the breakfast the Ingalls ate Christmas morning.

Fried pork and potatoes, biscuits, gravy and hot applesauce.

Clara decided that sounded like a pretty prefect dinner for tonight.

We started by throwing together some simple buttermilk biscuits. Clara can make these biscuits almost entirely on her own. They're very simple and very good.

Even though it's not exactly prairie fare, we are also having sausage gravy.

Along side the biscuits and gravy we are having some roasted new potatoes, applesauce, and maybe an excerpt or two from one of Laura's books.

Buttermilk Biscuits

(epicurious.com)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

heaped 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 tablespoon milk or cream for brushing

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough just forms (dough will be moist).

Drop by Heaping Tablespoonful onto a lined baking sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

Sausage Gravy

(Alton Brown)

1lb breakfast sausage, bulk style (we used lamb sausage squeezed from the links), drippings reserved

1 1/2 oz all purpose flour

2 C whole milk

salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage in a skillet.When done, remove sausage from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.

Whisk flour into the fat and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk a little at a time.

Return to medium-high heat and stir occasionally while the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens.

(Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan, that's where the flavor is.)

Check seasoning, add crumbled sausage and serve over toast or biscuits.