Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground pork breakfast sausage
  • 2 cups shredded hashbrowns, thawed and dried
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 16.3 oz refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuits
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven and grease your 9x13-inch baking dish generously with butter or non stick spray. Note: This prevents the egg layer from sticking to the corners.
  2. In your large skillet over medium high heat, brown the pork sausage. Wait for the sizzle and don't touch it for the first 2 minutes. You want that mahogany color. Do not drain the fat!
  3. Press the dried hashbrowns into the bottom of your dish in an even, flat layer.
  4. Whisk the eggs, 1/2 cup milk, sea salt, pepper, and smoked paprika in a bowl until frothy.
  5. Pour that egg custard over the hashbrowns, then sprinkle exactly half of your cooked sausage over the top.
  6. Return the skillet with the remaining sausage and fat to medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute until it smells nutty and toasted.
  7. Slowly stream in the 2 cups of milk, whisking constantly. Add the nutmeg. Cook for 3-5 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
  8. Quarter your biscuits using shears and scatter them over the casserole.
  9. Pour that velvety gravy over everything, then top with the shredded cheddar.
  10. Bake for 30 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown and the egg center doesn't jiggle. The aroma at step 7 is usually when my family starts wandering into the kitchen. That combination of toasted flour, pork fat, and a hint of nutmeg is the ultimate breakfast signal. When the casserole is done, it should look like a golden, bubbling landscape of cheesy goodness.