Yesterday I threw a gluten free Thanksgiving dinner party for 14 adults and 2 babies. Took 4ish hours of prep, 4ish hours of actual cooking, and over 4ish hours of cleanup.
Not sure quite how I powered through an 8am wakeup and thorough house reset while flying more than a little delicate from the night before, but I did. By the time my kitchen was sparkling like a Mr. Clean commercial, I was famished, part mental, and craving gravy something awful. If you’ve never experienced a hangover gravy craving, just trust me, it’s not something you can talk your way out of.
And since all the hot water in the house had been used for the house cleanup, there wasn’t any left for a shower, and without a thorough hose-down, I was in no state to be seen in public. So I pulled it together and I made from scratch biscuits and gravy.
I’m a machine.
3 tbs butter
2 garlic bulbs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 lb pork country style sausage
1/2 cup flour
1 cup white wine
1 cup milk (buttermilk is best, but who ever has it on hand? Add 1 tbs white vinegar to regular boring milk, give it a whisk and a minute and you’re good to go.)
salt + pepper
dash paprika
sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes
In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add onions in a layer and cook until soft. You’re not looking to caramelize the onions, but break them down into soft, pliant goodness.
Add mushrooms and garlic and saute 2-3 minutes or until soft.
Add sausage and saute until cooked through, using a fork or spatula to break meat down.
Move sausage and onion mixture to the sides of the pan, and turn heat up to medium high. Give the pan about a minute to heat.
There won’t be much juice in the pan, so add a few tablespoons of wine to deglaze the pan and loosen any cooked bits with a wooden spoon.
Now for your roux. Add more wine to the pan, let heat a few seconds, and then sprinkle in a few tablespoons of flour. Whisk flour and wine to form a roux, and continue adding wine, letting it heat, and spooning in flour, and whisking until a thick, light brown sauce forms.
Slowly add milk to the pan and whisk, adding more milk and whisking until the gravy forms to your desired thickness. Allow to simmer for a few minutes then add salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
Serve with warm biscuits sprinkled with a mix of sage, rosemary, and chives.
If you’re feeling particularly delicate, fry an egg and drop it over top. So good. And since the mushrooms soak up most of the sausage drippings, the wine base makes the gravy really light rather than painfully heavy. Perfect hangover food.
