Recipe: Mangalitsa lard biscuits and sausage gravy

Mangalitsa lard biscuits and sausage gravy

1 hour, 10 minutes. Serves 4 to 6

Lard biscuits

5 1/2 cups (23.4 ounces) flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces cold lard (Sqirl uses lard rendered from Mangalitsa pigs)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk, plus extra for the egg wash

2 eggs, divided

Cracked pepper and fleur de sel

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the lard until it is reduced to pea-sized pieces. Stir in the buttermilk and 1 egg just to form a dough.

3. Remove the dough to a well-floured surface, and pat to a thickness of about 1 inch. Cut out biscuits using a 2-inch round cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing the biscuits about 11/2 inches apart. The recipe makes about 1 dozen biscuits. Beat the remaining egg with a few tablespoons of buttermilk to form the egg wash. Brush the biscuits with the egg wash, and sprinkle over the cracked pepper and fleur de sel.

4. Bake the biscuits until puffed and golden, 12 to 17 minutes, rotating the tray halfway for even baking.

Sausage gravy

1 pound breakfast or standard pork sausage, crumbled

1 shallot, small dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of chile flake

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/4 cup flour

3 cups warm milk

Salt, to taste

1. In a dry skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until the fat is rendered and the sausage is golden-brown, about 10 minutes. Add the shallot, garlic, black pepper, chile and thyme. Cook until the shallot is translucent and the herbs are aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Sprinkle the flour over and briefly cook, stirring to mix well, about 2 minutes. Slowly drizzle over the warm milk, whisking to mix well so lumps don’t form; the milk will begin to thicken quickly. Bring the mixture down to a simmer and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Taste and season as desired with salt before serving.

EACH OF 6 SERVINGS

Calories 1,211

Protein 27 grams

Carbohydrates 106 grams

Fiber 3 grams

Fat 74 grams

Saturated fat 29 grams

Cholesterol 152 mg

Sugar 14 grams

Sodium 1,728 mg

NOTE: Adapted from Sqirl, which serves the biscuits and gravy with an over-easy egg.