Stretch Your Last Sausage

Feed your family with your last sausage? Impossible? Never! It doesn't matter if it's a breakfast patty, one of those little links, or a chunk of summer sausage, you can still base a tasty, home-made meal from that little piece of meat.

A favorite at the ranch is home-made gravy. Don't even think about opening one of those pasty, nasty envelopes of brown goop. Home-made gravy is thick, lovely, and sticks to your ribs. Top a couple of biscuits or slices of bread, and you have a hearty breakfast. Pour over home-mashed potatoes, and you have a side-dish your kids will love. Extra people show up at the last minute? No problem, add some more milk and you're ready to go.

Good gravy is economical and quite easy to make. The only thing to keep in mind is that you need to stay by it. Don't go wandering off to check the laundry or water the garden. Get someone to help you in the kitchen so you have someone to chat with.

Darn good sausage gravy

Before you start: Get the sausage, the container of flour, oil, and your jug of milk. You don't want to go wandering around when you need a touch of this or that. Then get a fork, a large spoon, a knife, and a big pan. (I prefer cast iron for a nice, steady heat.) Get your salt and pepper in case you need it.

Gravy: Heat up your pan, then keep it at a medium heat. As the pan is heating up, cut up your sausage. Toss the sausage into the pan and cook until nice and brown. If it looks awful dry, add a bit of oil to the pan. Add about 2 tablespoons of flour to the pan. Keep a close eye on the pan so you don't burn that flour. Use the spoon to scrape it around the pan. When it becomes a lovely light tan color, add about a cup of milk to the pan. Use the fork to blend the four, sausage bits, and milk.

Now this is the long part. Keep it at a simmer and keep stirring. Chat, plan a vacation, discuss politics, but don't leave that pan. You'll think that it'll never thicken, but then *poof* it starts. And you don't want lumps.

Actually, the whole cooking process only takes a few minutes, so don't fret. When it gets to about the right consistancy, taste to see if you want to add some salt or pepper.

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