When I was a kid my dad would take me out for a special breakfast once every few months. He would wake me up early and just he and I would sneak out of the house leaving my mom and little brother at home. On the way we would listen to Don McLean and Harry Chapin in his truck, I've known all the words to American Pie and Cats in the Cradle since I was like 6. Our restaurant of choice was a place that no longer exists called Pioneer Pies. I don't know if they actually had pie, since we always went for breakfast, but I do know they had biscuits and gravy because that's what I pretty much always ordered. Fluffy biscuits smothered in rich sausage gravy, the gravy soaking into the biscuit making it slightly soggy but the bottom still remaining crispy for a perfect bite. They could have actually been the worst biscuits and gravy ever but it didn't matter, I was a kid on a special date with her dad and I thought they were the best. Consequently my obsession with biscuits and gravy was born. I always look for them on every breakfast menu and still get them frequently. My palate is a little more discerning now though, and its not often I find some that I love. Especially since I make my own at home that I think are pretty spectacular! That's also why I'm more excited about this recipe than I probably should be. It's just like regular biscuits and gravy but BETTER because you get to dip your biscuits into vats of delicious gravy, and you can share a whole plate of biscuit fries with your friends and family for an awesome breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, or whenever you feel you need some biscuits and gravy. You can use the same recipe and cut the biscuits into larger sized ones for regular biscuits and gravy but biscuit fries are just so fun. Along with the biscuits are recipes for two different types of gravy, a vegetarian mushroom rosemary and a not too spicy chorizo gravy.
Ingredients -
For the biscuits -
2 cups all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1 stick very cold butter cut into cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk - full fat or Bulgarian
1/4 cup sour cream- full fat
3 T butter - melted, for brushing the tops of the biscuits
For the mushroom gravy -
1/2 medium onion - finely diced
8oz crimini mushrooms - finely diced
1T sage - finely chopped
2T fresh rosemary - finely chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 T olive oil
3 T butter
3 T flour
2 cups mushroom broth - if you can't find mushroom broth vegetable broth works too
1/2 cup half and half
For the chorizo gravy -
1/2 pound bulk breakfast sausage
1/2 pound bulk chorizo
1/2 medium red onion - finely diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 T olive oil
3 T flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
To make the biscuits, preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add the butter cubes and toss to coat cubes with flour. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender until the butter is the size of peas and evenly distributed. Its good to work quickly so that everything stays as cold as possible. Whisk together the sour cream and buttermilk and pour into the flour and butter. Mix with a wooden spoon just until the dough is holding together about 15 stirs. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a rectangle shape. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a 1 inch thick rectangle.
In order to get light and fluffy biscuits with layers the dough needs to be folded and then rolled out again a few times. To do this fold the dough rectangle in half towards you then turn it so the open side is facing toward your right like a book. Roll the dough back into a 1 inch thick rectangle and repeat the folding and rolling process 2 more times. Make sure to use flour on the rolling pin and counter so it doesn’t stick. Roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and roughly 10 inches long and 6 inches wide, it doesn't have to be perfect. Using a sharp knife cut the dough cross wise into strips that are about 1 inch wide. You should have about 10. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 7 minutes. Remove the biscuits from the oven and brush the tops with the melted butter. Return them to the oven and bake for an additional 7 minutes or until they are golden brown.
To make the mushroom gravy, heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or large sauté pan. Add the onions and the mushrooms, stir to coat them with the oil then sauté over medium heat until they are nicely browned. Season with the salt, pepper, rosemary and sage and add in the butter. When the butter is melted sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly to evenly coat everything with flour and cook out the raw flour taste. Whisk in the mushroom broth and half and half, continue to whisk until all the flour is combined with the broth and half and half and there are no lumps. Simmer until the gravy is thickened.
To make the chorizo gravy, heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or large sauté pan. Add the chopped onion, salt, and pepper. Sauté until the onion in starting to caramelize, add in the garlic and cook for a few more minutes until the garlic is lightly browned. Add in the breakfast sausage and chorizo, break up both sausages into very small pieces and sauté, until they are completely cooked through. Add in the flour, cook for 2 minutely stirring to evenly coat the sausage and onions. Whisk in the milk and chicken broth, continue stirring until everything is combined and there are no flour lumps. Simmer until the gravy is thickened.
To serve - Place the gravy in small bowls or individual ramekins for dipping, pile the biscuit fries on a large plate and dig in!
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