Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

1. Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet

Begin by preheating your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to get it ready for the biscuits.

2. Mix Dry Ingredients

In a food processor, pulse together the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Add Butter and Shortening

Add the chilled butter and vegetable shortening to the dry ingredients, pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4. Combine with Buttermilk

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the buttermilk until just combined.

5. Knead and Cut Dough

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently about 8 to 10 times until it comes together smoothly. Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch thick round. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out rounds, placing them on the prepared baking sheet. Gather the scraps, pat them out again, and cut more biscuits until you've used all the dough.

6. Bake Biscuits

Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Then, rotate the pan and reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Continue baking for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown.

7. Prepare Flour Mixture for Gravy

In a small bowl, mix together the 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, ground fennel seed, ground sage, and pepper.

8. Cook Sausage

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the bulk pork sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

9. Add Flour Mixture to Sausage

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the sausage and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

10. Add Milk and Simmer

Gradually stir in the whole milk and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until the gravy has thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

11. Serve Biscuits and Gravy

To serve, split the warm biscuits in half and ladle the savory sausage gravy over them.