How to Make Country Gravy

Chef John's classic American-style savory sausage and milk gravy is perfect for anything from biscuits and fried chicken to grits and country-fried steak.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 362 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 8 ounces breakfast sausage links, casings removed and meat broken up
• 4 strips bacon, sliced crosswise
• 2.5 cups cold milk
• 0.5 cup chopped green onions (light parts only)
• 0.33333334326744 cup packed all-purpose flour

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Melt butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage and bacon. Cook, breaking sausage into small pieces, until sausage is browned and bacon is almost crisp, about 10 minutes. Add light green onion to sausage mixture and saute until soft, about 3 minutes more.

Step 2

Stir flour into meat mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until thoroughly combined and mixture is pasty. Cook, stirring often, to remove raw flour taste, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 3

Whisk milk into meat mixture, about 1 cup at a time, until combined. Continue to whisk until gravy begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high, bring gravy to a simmer. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Step 4

Continue to simmer gravy, stirring occasionally, until flavors have blended and gravy is thick, 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish with green onion and cayenne pepper.