This is so easy and so delicious served over hot biscuits for a breakfast or supper, that is as southern as it gets. I wish everyone in the whole world could have something this good every day of their lives.
I was using sausage that I'd canned myself. I'd pick out my own pork to make the sausage and chose the seasonings. If you can do this, by all means take advantage of getting the best at a price that will surprise you, compared to already prepared and packaged sausage. If it costs you a few cents more, but it is well-worth it.
Break up and brown sausage in a skillet large enough to hold the entire recipe. Cook over medium heat until the sausage gives up all the fat, and if there's not at least 6 Tbsp. grease in the pan, then add the olive oil to make enough.
Do not drain off the grease that's cooked out of the sausage, unless it's super greasy and you have more grease than you need to mix with an equal amount of flour which will cook and thicken your gravy.
Add the flour, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Stir and cook until flour has browned to a golden color. Add milk slowly while stirring, and cook until gravy has thickened. Taste and correct seasonings.
Serve over hot biscuits or grits for a tasty hot breakfast treat that is famous in the south. Any leftovers should be refrigerated and can be reheated the next morning. You could freeze it as well, then just reheat it in the microwave when needed.
Note: If you can, have your butcher grind and season the fresh pork you want. It's so much better than anything in an already packaged product.
Source: The original recipe is one my Mother taught me, but being able to use sausage where I'd picked out meat and had it ground by our butcher who had all the best seasonings, was something I learned from our friend Herby in NC. There are no better or more sharing people in the world than those found in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains.
By Julia from Boca Raton, FL
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