Green Chile Biscuits and Gravy

This is great comfort food for a cold February morning, and easy to whip up if you still have some green chile in your freezer – our supply always seems to be getting low this time of year.

The gravy is just a traditional sausage cream gravy, with a New Mexico twist. With the addition of cheddar, it's a lot like the Flying Star's Southwest Bennie - one of my favorite breakfasts around town. The biscuit recipe is adjusted for high altitude, so they come out nice and fluffy.

Biscuits:

2 C. all purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
6 T. cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces (or 1/3 C. shortening)
1 C. buttermilk (or milk with juice of half a lemon)

Gravy:

1/4 lb. sausage

2 T. flour

2 C. milk

1/2 C. chopped green chile

1/4 C. grated cheddar

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450F. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture resembles cornmeal, with a few pea-sized chunks remaining. (If you don't have a food processor, just cut the fat into the flour mixture with a fork.) Add buttermilk and pulse until the dough comes together in one large piece. Do not overmix. On a floured surface, fold dough over 2 or 3 times to bring it together. Gently flatten to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough into circles with a can, or 9 even squares. Place biscuits onto a cookie sheet and bake 15-17 minutes, or until well-risen and golden brown.

Meanwhile, fry the sausage in a large skillet, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula. (Many locally produced sausages are quite lean – you may need to add a little oil to keep it from sticking.) Add flour and stir to coat the sausage. Whisk in milk and cook until just thickened. Stir in green chile and cheese, season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.

Split biscuits in half and top with gravy. Enjoy the rest of the biscuits with butter and jam. Serves 2-4.