Rye Breakfast* Recipe

Cook bacon

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon strips in a single layer; cook 4–6 minutes per side until crisp to your liking. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and keep warm. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan (discard excess or save for hashing).

Cook sausages

In the same skillet over medium heat (add a touch of oil if pan is dry), add the 2 sausage links. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 8–10 minutes. Remove and keep warm. If you plan to make sausage gravy using bulk sausage, remove links from the plate and crumble 4 oz of bulk sausage instead (see gravy section).

Cook hash brown

Wipe or use a separate nonstick skillet. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil over medium-high heat. Add frozen shredded hash browns in an even layer. Press down gently with a spatula. Cook without disturbing 4–5 minutes until bottom is golden and crisp. Flip in sections and cook another 3–4 minutes until crisp and cooked through. Season with 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Keep warm on low heat or in a 200°F (95°C) oven while finishing other components.

Brown sausage for gravy

If using bulk sausage for gravy (4 oz), heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the bulk sausage. Break it up with a spoon and brown until no pink remains, about 4–6 minutes. If you used links above and want to use that meat, remove casings and crumble the cooked links and proceed. Leave about 1 tablespoon of rendered fat in the pan; drain excess if there’s more than 2 tablespoons.

Make roux and finish gravy

Reduce heat to medium-low. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour over the browned sausage and cook, stirring, 1–2 minutes to remove raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in 1 cup whole milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring gravy to a gentle simmer and cook 3–5 minutes until thickened. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, taste and adjust. For a silkier finish, stir in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter off heat. Keep warm on lowest heat, stirring occasionally.

Cook eggs (choice of style)

For eggs over-easy/over-medium/over-hard: Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil or butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Crack 2 eggs into the pan, season with a pinch of kosher salt (~1/8 tsp) and a little black pepper. Cook until whites are set, then flip gently and cook to desired doneness (20–30 seconds for over-easy, 60–90 seconds for over-medium, 2 minutes for over-hard). For scrambled: whisk eggs with a pinch of salt and cook over medium-low, stirring until soft curds form. For poached: bring a pot of water with 1 tablespoon vinegar to a simmer and poach 3–4 minutes for runny yolks.

Warm biscuit and plate

If using store-bought baked biscuit, warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5–7 minutes until heated through. Split biscuit in half and place on the plate. Spoon sausage gravy over the biscuit halves (about half the gravy for one biscuit serving) so it soaks in slightly but still sits on top.

Assemble the plate

Arrange the cooked eggs, hash brown, bacon, sausage links and the gravy-topped biscuit on a serving plate. Sprinkle optional chopped chives or parsley over the eggs and gravy for color. Add extra salt and pepper to taste.