Servings: 12 | Prep Time: 50 mins | Cool time: 45 mins | Bake time: 40 mins | Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients

Sausage Gravy:

1 pound hot ground pork sausage

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup red bell pepper

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

3/4 tsp kosher salt

Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits:

1 3/4 cups self-raising soft-wheat flour, plus more for work surface

1/4 cup plain yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

4 tbsp chopped fresh chives, divided

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

1. Prepare the Gravy: Coat a 13-x19-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Cook sausage, onion and bell pepper in a large skillet over medium, stirring often, until sausage is crumbled and browned and vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes. Transfer mixture to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Wipe skillet clean.
2. Add butter to cleaned skillet; cook over low, whisking often, until melted. Whisk in all-purpose flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium. Cook, whisking occasionally, until thick and bubbly, 8-10 minutes. Stir in sausage mixture and salt; remove from heat. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the biscuits. Whisk together self-rising flour and cornmeal in a large bowl. Add butter cubes; cut into flour mixture using a pastry blender or 2 forks until mixture is crumbly and resembles small peas. Stir in cheese and 2 tablespoons of the chives. Stir in cream until ingredients are just moistened. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface, and lightly knead until dough comes together, 3-4 times. Pat dough into an 8-6-inch rectangle. Cut into 12 (2-inch) square, and cut each in half diagonally. Cover; chill until ready to use. Arrange biscuits spaced 1/4 -1/2 inch apart on top of cooled gravy.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake until casserole is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven. Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped chives. Serve hot.

Tips

To Freeze: After Step 3, wrap freezer-safe baking dish tightly with 2 layers of aluminum foil. Freeze at least 4 hours or up to 2 months. When ready to serve, transfer casserole to the refrigerator; thaw completely, about 24 hours. Unwrap dish; bake as directed in Step 4.

Shortcut Biscuits: Follow Steps 1 and 2 as directed. Arrange 12 frozen (unthawed) buttermilk home-style biscuits (from 1 [25-oz.] pkg.) spaced 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart on top of cooled sausage gravy. Brush tops of biscuits with 1 tbsp melted butter; sprinkle with 3 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 3/4 cup) and 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives. Bake as directed in Step 4. To freeze, follow freezing and thawing instruction above, and then bake as directed.

Course: Breakfast | Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1 cup cold buttermilk*

9 Tbsp (113 g) butter, divided

2 cups** all-purpose flour, plus more for counter

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp table salt

Red Lobster Variation:

+ 1/2 cup cheese

+ sub garlic salt for regular

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400° F. Line a sheer pan with parchment paper or spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.

Measure 1 cup of buttermilk and place cup in the freezer while prepping the other ingredients (you want it to be in the freezer about 10 minutes).

Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a paper towel and heat on high for 30 seconds. If not completely melted, return to the microwave for 10 second intervals until melted, then set aside to cool a bit while prepping other ingredients.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

After buttermilk has been chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes, combine it with 8 tablespoons of the melted butter. (Reserve the last tablespoon for brushing the baked biscuits.) Stir with a fork until butter forms small clumps or globules.

Add buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just until all flour is incorporated and batter pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough should be stiff and not super wet. If dough is wet, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring to combine, until dough is fairly stiff.

Generously flour a work surface. Dump biscuit dough onto prepared work surface, and turn to coat all surfaces with flour. Knead on counter 5-6 times (about 30 seconds). Flip over on work surface to coat with flour and then pat into a 6-inch square. It should be 1 1/2-2 inches in height. Cut four biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on prepared sheet pan. Knead scraps a few times until they hold together, then pat into a small rectangle and cut 2 more biscuits. Transfer last two biscuits to sheet pan, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. (see notes for an even easier cutting technique****).

Place in oven and bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 minutes. (start checking them after minutes as ovens vary. You want them to be a nice golden brown but not too brown – check the picture above for the right color.)

Re-melt remaining tablespoon of butter in the microwave, if necessary and brush tops of hot biscuits with melted butter. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated via Serious Eats.

* If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own. Place 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup. Fill to 1 cup level with milk and stir well. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Mixture may curdle a bit, that’s okay! Use in recipes in lieu of buttermilk.

Don’t skip chilling the buttermilk (step 2). It will definitely male a difference. If the buttermilk is not really cold, the little butter globules won’t form.

** I made these biscuits when I was in London visiting my daughter. I learned the all-purpose flour (Plain flour) is a bit different there and it seemed that I needed more, probably closer to 2 1/4 cups.

***These biscuits freeze well. To freeze, place biscuits on a sheet pan spaced at least a half inch from each other. Freeze till frozen, then transfer biscuits to a ziplock bag or air-tight storage container.

****If I am feeling pinched for time, I’ll just pat the dough into a 6-inch circle and use a bench scraper to cut the dough into wedges. I either put these wedges on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or in a 9-inch cake pan lined with parchment.

Recipe by The Café Sucre Farine at https://thecafesucrefarine.com/2016/02/ridiculously-easy-buttermilk-biscuits-2/