If you want a real treat to go with homemade biscuits on a weekend morning, how about some real Southern biscuit gravy? MawMaw used to save bacon fat for just such an occasion, but most people I know shy away from using meat fats in their cooking nowadays. Some won’t even use butter – the horror!

My opinion is this: Consider this a treat – not a daily indulgence. This is the way I’ve always eaten, and I have neither a weight problem nor a cholesterol problem. Just saying you can eat what you like if you eat wisely.

The recipe I’m showing you here calls for sausage, but you can omit the sausage and use bacon fat instead. Alternatively, you can drain the sausage and make the gravy with butter – it’s a matter of preference.

Yield: 3 cups – enough for 6-8 biscuits

Ingredients:

1 lb. sausage
3 T sausage fat (or butter)
3 T flour
3 c milk
salt (to taste)
1/2 black pepper

Over a medium-high heat, brown sausage. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.

Lower heat to medium-low. Remove all but 3 T of sausage fat from the pan. Add the flour and stir constantly until beige in color, about  5 minutes.

Slowly add milk. Stir for a minute.

Add pepper (and salt, if desired).

Add sausage back to skillet and stir to blend.

As the gravy cools, it will get thicker. Add more milk and reheat to thin, if necessary.

Serve over homemade biscuits and enjoy a real Southern treat, just like MawMaw used to make.