Southerners take sausage and egg biscuits for granted. They are just about everywhere in the South—we make them at Foster’s, and you can even buy them at country convenience stores, where you might find a stack wrapped in cellophane in a basket by the register. If you haven’t already had sausage and egg biscuits yourself, I hope this recipe will make you a convert. For extra flavor, cook the eggs the way my dad did, by frying them directly in the sausage grease left in the skillet rather than using butter. Feel free to scramble rather than fry the eggs if you prefer.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 8

　　1 pound ground pork sausage

　　8 Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits (page 51)

　　8 slices sharp Cheddar cheese (optional)

　　1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

　　1 or 2 large eggs per person

　　Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

Form the sausage into 8 patties (about 2 ounces each). Heat a large, dry nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties for 4 to 5 minutes per side. (There should be enough fat in the patties that you will not need to oil the pan.) Remove the sausage, drain on a paper towel, and cover loosely to keep warm.

　　

Step 3

Split the biscuits in half. Open the biscuits, arrange on a baking sheet, and cover the top halves with cheese slices, if using. Place in the oven just until the biscuits are warm and the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes.

　　

Step 4

While the biscuits are in the oven, return the skillet to the stove over medium heat. If using butter instead of the sausage grease, wipe the skillet with a paper towel and add the butter. Heat the fat until sizzling hot (see Know-how, page 100). Crack the eggs into the skillet, one at a time, taking care not to break the yolks or overcrowd the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and fry until the whites are set, about 1 minute. Using a spatula, carefully flip the eggs and fry the other sides until they are done to your liking, 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Season the eggs with salt and pepper to taste.

　　

Step 5

Remove the biscuits from the oven and place a sausage patty on each bottom half. Top each with a fried egg and a biscuit top. Serve warm.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.