As a kid, if I was running out of the house on a cold morning, late for school or work, I’d make my way straight to McDonald’s to pick up a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. These biscuits are my grown-up chef’s answer to that childhood indulgence. Little bits of sausage and fontina cheese stud the biscuits throughout, so you can eat them plain and still get that sausage sandwich feel, or you can enjoy them how I like to serve them for brunch at Little Owl: with poached eggs, Italian greens, and hollandaise (page 46). To make the best, flakiest biscuits, follow my handmade biscuit tips (see facing page).
MAKES 18 BISCUITS
1/4 cup [55 g] unsalted butter, plus 1/2 cup [110 g] cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in [12 mm] cubes
4 cups [560 g] all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
11/2 cups [360 ml] cold buttermilk
6 oz [170 g] breakfast link sausage, removed from the casing and crumbled, or crumbled sausage patties
4 oz [115 g] fontina cheese, cut into 1/4 in [6 mm] cubes
Preheat the oven to 375°F [180°C]. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt 1/4 cup of the butter. Set aside.
In a very large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the cold butter and, using your fingertips (or a pastry cutter or, in a pinch, a potato masher!), squeeze the butter pieces into the flour until the texture of the mixture turns crumbly, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the buttermilk and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, incorporate until just combined (it will look a mess!). Add the crumbled sausage and the cheese and, using your hands or a pastry cutter, incorporate the sausage and cheese into the dough.
Turn the biscuit dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top with a little more flour. Using a rolling pin (the dough shouldn’t stick to the pin, but if it does, add a scant amount of flour), gently and quickly roll out the dough to about a 1 in [2.5 cm] thick oval. Pull the dough in around the edges and pat it down into somewhat of a square.
Using a 3 in [7.5 cm] biscuit cutter, punch out the biscuits and place them, with a little space between each one, on your prepared baking sheet. Gather any scrap pieces of dough and reroll to cut out as many biscuits as possible.
Brush the biscuits with the melted butter and bake until the tops are lightly golden, 15 minutes. These are best served immediately, or you can store them in an airtight container for up to 24 hours in your refrigerator. To serve the next day, split them open and arrange them on a baking sheet in a 350°F [180°C] oven and warm, until slightly toasted.