Lately, I’ve been having a lot of fun in my kitchen turning sweet dishes into something savory and unexpected. On this particular occasion, I was seriously craving biscuits and gravy but there was no where to just run out and order a plate. I’m not even sure if there’s a kosher restaurant out there that sells biscuits and gravy! What is that about? So I took matters in to my own hands and made my own special version, inspired by one of my favorite sweet treats: cinnamon buns. Hey, maybe some Kosher restaurant chef out there can use my recipe and get to it. But in the meantime, I’ll just have to make them myself and I suggest you do the same.
Yam Biscuit and Sausage Gravy Buns
Sausage Gravy:
3-4 Mexican Style Chorizo sausages (I used my favorite from Jack’s Gourmet), finely chopped
1 Tbsp margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups buttermilk (2 cups soymilk + 2 Tbsp lemon juice)
Yam Biscuits:
1 medium yam (you can also use sweet potato), 1/2 cup cooked
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp sugar
8 Tbsp cold margarine, cut in to small pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk (1/2 cup soymilk + 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice)
I made the sausage gravy first to give it a chance to cool. This recipe is SO simple! I fried the sausage in my amazing cast iron skillet
I added the margarine, let it melt then added the flour and mixed until smooth. I added the buttermilk and stirred until the gravy thickened. I added salt and pepper to taste then removed the gravy from the heat to cool.
I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and got to work on the delicious biscuit dough. I poked holes in the yam and microwaved it on a plate for around 8 minutes (really, it’s whatever time my “baked potato” button decided). I let the yam cool slightly then peeled it and set aside. In a large bowl, I mixed together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. I added the cold margarine to the flour mixture and mixed with a pastry blender until pea-sized crumbs were formed.
I stirred in the buttermilk and 1/2 cup of yam with my hands until a bit loose. I kneaded the dough on a lightly floured surface for around 1 minute. If your dough is a bit sticky, that is okay. Just add some extra flour when you knead the dough.
I lightly floured my table one more time then rolled out the dough to a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Just like with a cinnamon bun, I spread the sausage gravy all over the surface of the dough.
I rolled the dough to create a long cinnamon bun-like roll and sliced 2 inch thick pieces. You can cut whatever size rolls you want! Some people like larger rolls. Others prefer smaller slices (I don’t know who those people are though).
I placed the biscuit slices in a pie pan and baked for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Don’t these look just like cinnamon buns?!?
If you have any extra biscuit slices, you can bake them in cupcake liners. What a fun way to serve these savory treats!
One word: delicious! The biscuit dough was light and airy with a touch of sweetness from the yam. The sausage gravy was spicy and creamy and a lot less messy to eat than pouring the gravy right over the biscuit…although I will say you can do that also! You can serve this as a fun appetizer or even as an hor devours at your next party. You will certainly surprise your guests with this savory sausage bun.
