This is a slight twist on a Southern classic that uses a roux-based gravy that’s easy to make and an option to either make biscuits from scratch or just buy the stuff in tubes at the store. It takes about 50 mins to make (if you are not making your own biscuits), and serves 8. One advantage to making this strata, is that each person can have as much or as little as they like and there is a lot less waste. If making the biscuits from scratch, because you care about quality, make sure you have all the ingredients and start an hour earlier.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Italian sausage – recommend mild
- 3 TBL. Flour
- 3 TBL Butter
- 20 oz. Whole milk, (2.5 cups)
- 2 16 oz. cans of buttermilk biscuits or from scratch
- 1 tsp Chives – for garnish (optional)
- Kosher salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper
Process
- Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
- Cook sausage and drain. Set aside.
- Make biscuits
- If making from scratch follow this biscuit recipe, only don’t cut into biscuits, divide dough in half.
- If making from store bought tube, open each tube and keep separate.
- Roll each half of biscuit dough to size of baking pan (9″x13″).
- Make Roux
- Melt butter in a sauce pan.
- Add flour and stir constantly for ~1 min.
- Add milk in intervals, ~2 oz each round. Work out the lumps with a gravy whisk. Repeat 4 times.
- Add rest of milk and season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.
- Add in cooked sausage.
- Bring to a boil and low heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered ~5 mins to let thicken.
- Grease a 9″x13″ pan and place one rolled out dough in bottom. Press into the corners.
- I usually bake the bottom a dough a few minutes before building the casserole.
- Pour the gravy mix over the bottom dough and place the other half of rolled out dough on top.
- Optionally brush the top with melted butter and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake ~20 mins.
- Let cool 10 mins before serving. Garnish with chives (optional).
