I do believe that a heated steering wheel is one of the greatest inventions ever! It is still COLD here in New England and my heated steering wheel was definitely a blessing in disguise this past weekend, as I ran errands and did my regular chores. And this rainy, raw weather is certainly putting me in the mood for warm and comforting food more often than not.
Enter: sage biscuits and gravy with ham. I know this was not the healthiest way to start my Sunday but I ran 6.2 miles on Saturday so that’s my excuse! 6.2 miles is FAR, and worthy of a little indulgence, in my opinion. 😉 Plus, I still had to use up that Easter ham!
This recipe will always remind me of my sister, Dawn. She used to love making what she called creamed ham and serving it over mashed potatoes. In fact, she made it so often that we nicknamed her “Ham Bone.” Sadly, I lost my sister in 1998 to cancer but creamed ham over mashed potatoes is still one of her daughter’s favorite dishes and she now makes it all the time.
The biscuits in this dish are biscuits that I make all of the time but I typically use either thyme or cheddar cheese. Both are great, and together are delicious, but I thought the sage would be a nice complement to the ham here, and the smell of the sage baking in the oven was out of this world.
This recipe makes about 8-10 biscuits, depending on size. I tend to make mine on the thinner side (mostly because I like more biscuits) so I usually end up with about 10.
Sage Biscuits & Gravy with Ham (about 4 servings)
Biscuits
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1/2 cup of butter (ice cold), cut into cubes
3/4 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of sage
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar. Cut in cold butter using a pastry cutter (or a fork) until it is the size of peas (to get flaky biscuits, always use cold butter). Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the milk and sage into the bowl. Gently mix until a soft dough forms. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Cut into circles and place on a baking sheet. I use my handy dandy egg cookers to cut the perfect sized biscuits. You could also do free form biscuits if you like a more home-style look.
Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms of biscuits are golden brown.
Gravy
2 tablespoons butter, divided
8 oz diced ham
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup milk
salt
pepper
In a medium-sized skillet, melt one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add ham to the skillet and cook for a few minutes until brown. Remove ham from skillet and reserve. Reduce heat to medium-low, add remaining butter and cornstarch to pan, whisking for about a minute (if pan seems dry, add a little more butter). Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a simmer. Add ham, and salt and pepper to taste (remembering that ham is already salty), continue cooking for about a minute longer or until desired thickness. Pour over sliced biscuits. Now, I admit that the photo of the biscuits and gravy does not look all that appealing but trust me, this is a meal you don’t want to miss (and yes, I really did eat this AND a side of hash browns — I may need to run another 6.2!)!
Enjoy!