Cheat of the Week: Southern Eggs Benedict with Spicy Sausage Gravy

I spent about 20 years of my youth in a wonderfully fun town called Athens, Georgia. If you haven't been there, you need to visit! It's home to my alma mater, the University of Georgia (GO DAWGS!), and is the musical birthplace of REM and the B-52s (Love Shack, baby!!)....oh, and I must acknowledge that they were just named to Buzzfeed's "11 Coolest Small Cities" ....anyway...it's really a great place!

I left Athens in 2006, and with the move, I left behind a great little eatery called Five Star Day Cafe' (which has since closed...devastating).

Five Star Day Cafe' in beautiful downtown Athens, Georgia

Everything on their menu was absolutely delightful, especially their Five Star Benedict. The benedict was the last breakfast I ate before I left Athens, and the one meal I was sure to have when I came home to visit. I craved it so much after I left, that I experimented in the kitchen until I recreated it as best I could! Every time my sister comes to visit me, she requests that I make this for her before she leaves, and of course, I'm happy to oblige! 

So, for the Cheat of the Week, I present to you...Taryn's Southern Eggs Benedict with Spicy Sausage Gravy!

This recipe serves 2...

INGREDIENTS (for sausage gravy)

1 pound ground pork sausage

3 tablespoons bacon grease

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

Center-cut bacon

4 Eggs

1 can of biscuits (I personally prefer Pillsbury Grands Golden Flaky Layer Biscuits)

DIRECTIONS

1.  Fry bacon to get the 3 tbsp of bacon grease. Set bacon strips aside, leaving grease in the frying pan.
2.  Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside, leaving the drippings in the skillet. Mix bacon grease into the sausage drippings. Reduce heat to medium, combine with flour, and stir constantly until mixture just turns golden brown.
3. Gradually whisk milk into skillet. When the mixture is smooth, thickened, and begins to bubble, return the sausage to skillet. Add red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to your liking (I like mine a little spicier, so I usually use a bit more pepper than most). Reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. While gravy is cooking, place biscuits in oven to bake. Poach eggs.  To prepare the benedict, place open faced biscuit on plate. Put two strips of bacon on each biscuit half. Place one poached egg on each biscuit half. Cover entire biscuit with sausage gravy...and serve!

This is a very heavy meal, so I like to serve mine with fruit...but if you are going to be eating this and you have a hearty appetite, you can also serve with roasted breakfast potatoes!