Despite being American-born, I lived a much different life than many growing up. My parents came oversees during the Vietnam War, making me part of the first generation. That meant I snacked on mung bean cakes, instead of chocolate baked desserts, and feasts of Vietnamese fare, ranging from spring rolls to large steaming bowls of pho that simmered on the stove for what seemed like days.
But like most, we did make occasional trips to fast food chains for quick meals. For me, it was a treat to “dine” at McDonald’s simply because eating American dishes only occurred at school. I longed for a burger and chicken nuggets; what kid doesn’t? I agree, it was not the best or healthiest meal, but for a child that ate mostly family-style Vietnamese meals, it seemed absolutely wonderful.
Of course, ordering off the menu was sometimes a challenge due to language and cultural differences. Now a funny story we can all chuckle about, the soy sauce basket incident is one for the books. I remember vividly pulling up to the speaker at a McDonald’s drive-thru to order a quick breakfast before school. My mom, in the driver’s seat, said with certainty, “I would like a soy sauce basket.” A questionable look crossed my face as I doubted what I heard. The response, “I’m sorry, can you repeat the order?” Once again, soy sauce basket was uttered. I suddenly realized my mother intended to order a sausage biscuit. I whispered this to her and she reassured me, emphatically, that she said that. As we pulled up to the window, I dreaded meeting the employee taking our order, knowing instantly that there was some humor in the fact that we’re Asian. I’m sure my mother realized eventually that she ordered the wrong thing. Or at least I hoped.
Fast forward to the present; I now skip McDonald’s breakfast and prefer making morning eats at home. In light of the story I just shared, I thought it would be nice to offer a homemade Sausage Biscuit recipe worth waking up early to prepare.
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
- 2/3 to 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 tsp dried sage
- 3/4 tsp fennel seeds, roughly chopped
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 - 1 tsp salt, to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a bowl, mix the butter into the flour until pea-sized crumbs form. Incorporate 2/3 cup of milk and stir. If the dough does not come together, add the remaining milk and mix. Fold in the parmesan cheese.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat the dough into a rectangle that is 3/4” thick. You can also use a rolling pin. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to create 9 biscuits. (You may have extra dough, which can be folded together to cut more biscuits.)
- Place the dough on the baking sheet, at least 1-inch apart, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Transfer the biscuits to a rack to cool.
- Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl to make the sausage patties, and mix until thoroughly combined. Form 9 patties that are 2 1/2-inch disks. Coat a pan with nonstick spray and heat on medium-high. Cook the patties until browned, approximately 4 minutes on each side.
- Split the biscuits in half and use to sandwich the sausage patties. Serve.
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