Ingredients:

I love my plethora of herbs out in the yard and we harvest and dry as much as possible, just as Mom taught me and grandma taught her...;-) Sage is one of our favorites.

The sausage is really better if you can mix the meat & spices a few hours or the night before to give them a chance to meld. Make sure you mix thoroughly for even seasoning.

4 pounds of ground pork with fat
4 teaspoons of salt
5-6 teaspoons of sage, crumbled and I remove the stems, or use ground from the store
3 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, we like it a little spicy
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a little more spice
1 - 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup cold water, optional                  

1. Mix all ingredients except the water with your hands (as you would meatloaf) in a large bowl.

2. Add the water to make patties that will fry without crumbling. Mix thoroughly kneading with your hands.

3. I make these into 1/4 pound patties and freeze on cookie sheets for later use. Allow 1 patty per person when making sausage gravy. Allow to freeze for 1-2 days then place in either gallon size freezer ziploc bags (to store for approximately 2 months) or for longer storage use butcher's wrap paper. Label & date all containers.

To make the gravy:

1. We like our gravy meaty so I use about 1/4 pound of meat per person. Brown meat well. Drain off ALMOST all fat. You must leave a little - maybe 1-2 tablespoons of fat. If you let SOME carmalization (almost over browning of the meat) occur, you will have a deeper flavor.

2. Add enough flour to just coat the meat, when you add more flour the thicker (almost paste like) the gravy will be. I usually just judge as I stir it into the meat, until all the meat is just coated nicely.

3. Pour in enough milk to almost submerge the meat. Approximately, 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups per 1/4 lb. of meat.

4. Bring to a boil, stir occasionally scraping bottom and sides of pan. Over medium heat, let it sit and bubble until it thickens to the point that you like it and it no longer has any taste of flour. Season to taste.

Enjoy!

Let me know what you think, what would you like or would change within this recipe? Send your thoughts or recipe requests to contactus@arnettsacres.com. Thank you.