BREAKFAST SAUSAGE BISCUIT GRAVY CASSEROLE

Ingredients

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS:
• 3 cups (395 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/4 + 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 8 1/2 tbsp (120 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and very cold
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp (260 grams) buttermilk, cold
APPLE AND FENNEL BREAKFAST SAUSAGE:
• 14 oz (400 grams) fatty ground pork shoulder/butt, must be 30~40% fat
• 1 small fuji apple, or granny smith apple
• 1 medium shallots
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 4 tbsp ice-cold water
GRAVY:
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (732 grams) whole milk
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) chicken stock
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Instructions

1. TO MAKE THE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS: Combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl (or in a food-processor), whisk (or pulse) until mixed evenly. Add the cubed unsalted butter, then with a pastry-cutter (or pulsing the food-processor), cut the unsalted butter into the flour until the largest bits are the size of peas. Now, (if you're using food-processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl) with your hands, roughly squeeze the large bits of butter into flat disks. Add the cold buttermilk and fold the mixture gently together until it forms a dough, whichwill seem slightly on the dry side.
2. Gently roll the dough into 1/2" (1.5 cm) thickness. Cut the sheet into 4 slabs, then stack them on top of each other (this is what's gonna create the layers), and roll again into 3/4" (2 cm) thickness. Cut out the as many biscuits you can with a round-cutter, gather the scraps, and cut again. You should have about 9~10 biscuits.
3. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined plate, and freeze for 2 hour until frozen. Can be made the day ahead.
4. TO MAKE THE APPLE AND FENNEL BREAKFAST SAUSAGE: Plastic-wrap the fatty ground pork and flash-freeze for 2 hours until extremely cold, hardened but pliable. (this is important if you want to create that "bouncy" texture of sausages).
5. Peel the apple then grate through the smallest holes on a cheese grater. Squeeze out all the excess juice, place in a food-processor with shallots and garlic, and run until finely minced. Add the cold fatty ground pork, cornstarch, salt, maple syrup, crushed fennel and ground black/white pepper. Run the food-processor until evenly incorporated, then keep it running while you slowly add in 4 tbsp of iced water, and stop until the mixture is smoothly blended. You may be able to do this by hand by whisking vigorously.
6. TO MAKE THE GRAVY: Heat a large, oven-proof skillet over high heat. Cook the sausage with a bit of vegetable oil, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until nicely browned. Leave 1 tbsp of dripping in the skillet, then transfer the sausages to a bowl and set aside. Lower the heat to medium then add 2 tbsp of unsalted butter in the skillet. Cook the diced onion and a pinch of salt until very soft and translucent, approx 10 min. Add the flour and cook for a couple min, then while whisking simultaneously, add the milk and chicken stock. Keep whisking until the mixture has come to a simmer and starts to thicken. Add the browned sausage back to the skillet, along with 1 tbsp of ground black pepper, ground white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne powder and freshly grated nutmeg. Simmer for 6~8 min and re-season with salt if needed. Can be made hours ahead.
7. TO BAKE THE CASSEROLE: Preheat the oven on 500F/250C.
8. Bring the gravy back to a simmer if needed (if the gravy seems too thick at this point, loosen with a bit more chicken stock), then mix in the Dijon mustard. Arrange the frozen biscuits over the gravy, and brush the top with egg wash. Bake in the oven for 10 min, then lower the heat down to 430F/220C, and bake for another 15 min until the biscuits are puffed and golden browned (if the biscuits are browning too fast before the end of 15 min, lower the heat down to 400F/200C).
9. Serve the casserole immediately with chili flakes and tabasco sauce.