Sausage and Potato Hash

I call this a hash, though strictly speaking, it's not.  But it's easier to say than "fried potatoes, veggies, and sausage."  So simple it's almost silly to write it out like a recipe, but I've found that what seems simple and obvious to one person might not be so to another.  This is also a one skillet meal, which I love to do.  They're easy to increase and size and simple to throw together.  I normally use Italian sausage for this, but our fridge died last week and I had bratwurst that needed cooked, so I used that, instead.

First, cook the bratwurst.  I like the casing to have a pop to it, so this is how I prepare mine.  Heat a tbsp or so of oil over medium heat.  Add the sausage and turn every couple of minutes, until they're brown on all sides.  Next, add some water, about half a cup.  Cover the pan and turn the heat down to low.  Let them simmer for 20-25 minutes (you might want to cut one open to make sure they're no longer pink!)  So now that your sausages are cooked, let them cool down and then slice them up.

Next, start frying your potatoes.  3 or 4 medium potatoes should be good.  Peel and slice relatively thin so that they cook through.  Nothing is worse than biting into a half-cooked potato, yuck!  I like to fry mine in duck fat, when I have it.  If you've never had potatoes with duck fat, you are missing out.  Rectify this as soon as possible.  95% of the reason I make duck regularly is too keep my duck fat supply up, for no other reason than I want to fry my potatoes in it.  I add a little salt and pepper now, mostly because I'll be sneaking potatoes out as they cook, but don't add too much salt- your sausage will be salty, don't forget.

See how silky and unctuous the duck fat looks?  Mmmm.

While those are frying, slice your onion and green pepper.  How much depends on you and the size of them.  My children aren't fans of either, so I just did half an onion and half a green pepper.

I like my peppers and onions to be a bit crisp, so I add them in when the potatoes are nearly done and just give them a quick saute.  But if you like them soft, add them in earlier.  Go ahead and add in the cooked, sliced bratwurst.

So easy to throw together, hearty and filling!

Biscuits and Gravy

Growing up, my father sometimes made biscuits and gravy.  He used canned biscuits, which I personally think are kind of gross.  Once you've had homemade, it's just hard to choke them down.  He would also make the gravy by frying the sausage and then coating it in flour.  This is simple, but I've found it yields very inconsistent gravy.  I prefer to use a roux.  Roux sounds fancy, but it's very simple- just a mixture of equal parts fat (usually butter) and flour, used to thicken sauces.  But if you want to impress people, you can add in that it's the base of the three "mother sauces" used in French cooking.

Let's start with the biscuits.

Buttermilk Biscuits

You'll need-
2 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup fat (I prefer lard or butter, but you can use shortening)
3/4 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 450F.  Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in the fat- a pastry cutter is the easiest way, but if you don't have one, just mash it up with a potato masher and the rub the rest in with your fingers.  Do this until it looks like this-

Stir in the milk.  The dough will be soft and sticky, but it should still be workable.  Knead on a lightly floured surface (or with a kneading attachment on your KitchenAid mixer like I do).  Roll it out until it's about 1/2 inch thick.

Cut in to rounds with either a 2 in round cutter, or the bottom of a glass.  If you want the sides a bit crusty, put them an inch apart on the baking sheet; if you want them soft, have them touching.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

I have 4 biscuit crazed children, so I usually double the recipe.  Now for the good stuff- the sausage gravy.  Mmmm.

Start by frying a pound of sausage in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven.

When it's cooked through, remove it from the pan and set aside.  There's hardly any fat, so don't worry about draining it.  Now to make the fancy roux.  Over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup of butter or lard and then whisk in 1/4 cup of flour.  It should look like this-

Next, you're going to SLOWLY whisk in 2 cups of milk.  Do it slow so it has a nice, smooth consistency.  Once it's all whisked it, keep stirring it over medium heat until it's nice and thick.  Don't add in any salt yet; the sausage is salty, so if you try to seasoning the gravy now, it's very easy to over salt it.  Once you have the gravy the consistency you want it, add the sausage back in and then salt and pepper to taste.  Serve it over the biscuits and it's pretty much heaven.