Equipment Needed
- 9×13 inch baking dish
- Large skillet or cast-iron pan
- Whisk
- Mixing spoon or spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Can opener (for the biscuits!)
- Cutting board & knife (for garnish)
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, I get my sausage browning in that large skillet over medium heat. I break it up really well with my spoon—you want small, bite-sized crumbles. Don’t drain all the fat! This is my biggest tip: you need about 3 tablespoons of that rendered fat left in the pan for the gravy. If you’re shy a bit, add a pat of butter. Once the sausage is cooked through and no longer pink, I sprinkle the flour right over it. This is where the magic starts. I stir and let it cook for a full minute, until it’s all pasty and smells a bit nutty. This cooks out the raw flour taste and is the secret to a gravy that isn’t gluey.
Now, for the gravy. I slowly pour in the milk while whisking constantly. I mean it—constant whisking is your best friend here to prevent lumps. I add the black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then, I let it simmer, stirring often, for about 5-7 minutes. It feels like it takes forever to thicken, but be patient! It will suddenly go from milky to luxuriously creamy. I take it off the heat once it coats the back of a spoon. I taste it here, but I rarely add salt; the sausage usually does the job.
While the gravy is thickening, I prep my casserole base. I take my thawed hashbrowns and press them in an even layer into my greased 9×13 dish. This is our starchy foundation. Once the gravy is perfect, I pour the entire sausage and gravy mixture right over the hashbrowns and spread it out. Then, I take my can of biscuits and tear each raw biscuit into about 4-6 rough pieces—they don’t have to be perfect! I scatter these biscuit chunks evenly over the top of the gravy. They will look sparse, but I promise they puff and expand like crazy.(See the next page below to continue…)