Back in the day when money was tight, Switch and I used to scratch our travel itch with long road trips across the U.S. We did at least 5 cross country trips taking all different routes; even one that sent us above the Great Lakes into Canada. That trip always reminds me of the billboard we saw advertising Paul Bunyan’s Pasties in Northern Minnesota just before the border. I seriously thought it was some weird amalgamation of burlesque and lumberjack myth hoping that around the next corner we’d run into a rowdy all-male bear burlesque review. Alas, it was just advertising the local meat-filled hand pies.

Pies, pastry, bread, meat, gravy feature heavily in American comfort food and are a staple of road side restaurants. Often, we would find ourselves rolling into a diner early in the morning after shaking off the morning dew from a night of tent sleeping. I would sit over my thick mug of watery coffee while Switch spooned the whipped cream off his (also watery) hot chocolate. The smells of butter on the grill, waffles, sweet sugary syrup permeated the air as we read the local free rag or the establishment’s quirky paper placemat.

It was here among the clash/clang of the kitchen and whooped greetings to local regulars that we both fell in love with biscuits and gravy. Substantial, savory, warm and completely unhealthy, when doused in a vinegary hot sauce (I think the tangy-ness is essential to the balance), it was a welcome contrast to our typical road snacks.

Once we had a bit more funds, we still did road trips, but most of our travel locations were international. Instead of just pining for our nostalgic diner dish, I decided to figure out how to make them – with one big modification. Switch was developing food allergies and we were just beginning to uncover his allergy to dairy. It is mild, but annoying, and since I also sometimes have a hard time digesting heavy cream (strangely no other dairy products give me problems), I decided to figure out how to get that same comforting dish without that fatty cow juice.

I gift you all with my recipe below (which also features fresh herbs – surprise!). I still make it for a treat on a lazy Sunday morning – doused heavily with hot sauce, of course. You should have most ingredients in your pantry.

Herbed Biscuits and Gravy

For the biscuits

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1 stick (113 g) cold butter cut into 1/2 cubes
• 3/4 c whole milk mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice (or 3/4 c buttermilk if you have it)

And the gravy

• 1/2 lb to 1 lb uncooked sausage*
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp mixed chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, chives, oregano, etc.)
• 1/2 c all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ~2 cups chicken stock
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

First, make the biscuits. Heat the oven to 425. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar to a food processor** with a metal blade and pulse a few times to combine. Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse about 8 times until the butter is pea-sized. Dump the milk in and pulse 2-3 more times until the mixture clumps together in a ball.

Dust your counter with flour and gently press the dough into a rough oval/rectangle about 2 fingers (1.5″) thick. Cut circles out with a biscuit cutter or upturned glass and place on an ungreased sheet pan. Push any leftover dough cut sides together and cut more biscuits until only scraps are left. I always make a small lumpy biscuit from the last scraps, but you can toss it if you prefer. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until golden.

While the biscuits are baking, heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. When hot, swirl the olive oil and add the sausage. Let it sit for a few minutes without disturbing and then begin to break it up into smaller pieces. You want some golden fond on the sear because that will add richness. When the sausage is cooked, add 1/4 c of the flour and stir it around. It should powder coat the sausage. If your pan is really dry at this point and you can see the white of the flour (this will depend on how much fat is in your sausage), drizzle some more olive oil and then add the remainder of the flour. Goal here is to cook the raw flavor out of the flour, so saute for 3-4 more minutes until the flour smells a little browned. Toss in half of the herbs and the white parts of the green onion.

Grab a whisk and add most of the chicken broth while whisking constantly, scraping up all the browned bits around the pan. Increase the heat if necessary to bring the gravy to a simmer and whisk periodically until the gravy has thickened. If your gravy is too thick, add more broth or water, 1/4 c at a time. If your gravy is too runny, you can mix equal parts of olive oil and flour in a separate bowl and whisk in while the gravy is simmering.

Once your gravy thickness is how you like it, turn off the heat and mix in the remainder of the herbs. To serve, ladle the gravy over the biscuits and sprinkle with the remaining green onion. I like a tangy Louisiana style hot sauce for this dish.

*This could really be any sausage, but I prefer either chicken or pork and breakfast, herbed or italian style. Use more sausage to make a chunkier meatier gravy.

**If you don’t have a food processor, whisk the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a couple knives to pea size, and then fold in the milk gently with a fork until you can press the the dough into a ball. Be careful to work the dough as little as possible – it is okay if it is crumbly!