Sawmill gravy (& biscuits)

Sure, this recipe probably wouldn’t pass muster with Paula Deen, but I’m okay with that. The good news is that this recipe uses coconut milk instead of cow’s milk. Coconut is pretty awesome and somewhat unique (compared to other fat sources) in that it is comprised mostly of medium-chain triglycerides. Go and Google MCTs and coconut if you’re itching for more information.

Biscuits and gravy is pretty much a Southern staple, and you’re incredibly likely to find this recipe on most restaurant menus. While our version is not the kind of meal you want for every breakfast, it’s a good alternative to the everyday habit of eggs.

1 pound (450 g) ground pork or turkey sausage
1 tablespoon (15 ml) almond flour
1 tablespoon (15 ml) arrowroot powder
1 can coconut milk
2 teaspoons (10 ml) sage
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup (125 mL) chicken stock (if needed)

Basic Biscuits (recipe here)

1. Sauté sausage in large skillet until completely cooked. Remove sausage from pan, saving about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the drippings from the sausage. Keep these drippings in the pan.
2. Add the almond flour and arrowroot powder to the skillet, and whisk with the sausage fat over medium-low heat, until a paste is formed, working to scrape up some of the sausage drippings.
3. Pour in about ¼ of the coconut milk, the sage, and paprika at this point, and bring to medium heat, stirring often and scraping up the browned sausage bits.
4. Add remaining coconut milk, stirring as you go, and bring to light simmer. Add sausage back in, and simmer until gravy reaches desired thickness
5. If gravy becomes too thick, thin out with some of the chicken stock.
6. Pour over biscuits sliced in half and serve.

Variations—Nobody says you have to serve this gravy over biscuits. We love pouring it over scrambled eggs or steak. Play around with what you like it on.

More Recipes You'll Love

• Prune-Nut Bread
• Delicious Pumpkin Bread
• Basic biscuits

Sawmill gravy pours coconut-milk sausage gravy thickened with almond flour and arrowroot over split basic biscuits - the Southern diner plate reworked without cow's milk. Sage and paprika season the drippings-based sauce. Not an everyday breakfast, but a worthy break from eggs.

Pro Tips

• Save about 2 tablespoons of sausage drippings for the roux; too much fat makes the gravy slick and too little keeps it from thickening.
• Add the coconut milk a quarter at a time, scraping up the browned bits as you go; dumped in at once it turns lumpy.
• Thin with chicken stock if the gravy tightens past pourable - the recipe keeps some on hand for exactly that.
• Not just for biscuits - the variation pours it over scrambled eggs and steak.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is sawmill gravy paleo?

This version is - coconut milk replaces the milk, and almond flour and arrowroot replace the flour.

What can I pour it over?

Split biscuits are the classic, with scrambled eggs and steak as the recipe's variations.

How do I fix lumpy gravy?

Whisk the flour into the hot fat into a smooth paste first, then add the liquid gradually.

Recipe Card

Stav Kogan

Sawmill gravy (& biscuits)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 lb (450 g) ground pork or turkey sausage
• 1 tbsp almond flour
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tsp sage
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ cup (125 mL) chicken stock (if needed)
• If gravy becomes too thick, thin out with some of the chicken stock.

Method

 

1. Sauté sausage in large skillet until completely cooked.
2. Remove sausage from pan, saving about 2 tablespoons of the drippings from the sausage.
3. Keep these drippings in the pan.
4. Add the almond flour and arrowroot powder to the skillet, and whisk with the sausage fat over medium-low heat, until a paste is formed, working to scrape up some of the sausage drippings.
5. Pour in about ¼ of the coconut milk, the sage, and paprika at this point, and bring to medium heat, stirring often and scraping up the browned sausage bits.
6. Add remaining coconut milk, stirring as you go, and bring to light simmer.
7. Add sausage back in, and simmer until gravy reaches desired thickness
8. Pour over biscuits sliced in half and serve.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!