Okie Benny Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease it.

In a medium bowl whisk together 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt until evenly combined.

Cut cold butter into the flour mixture: add the 3 tablespoons cubed cold butter and use a pastry cutter or two forks (or fingertips quickly) to cut the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits. Keep the butter cold; work quickly.

Stir in 1/2 cup cold buttermilk with a fork until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix; dough should be shaggy and slightly sticky.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface (use about 1 tablespoon extra flour). Gently fold the dough over itself 2–3 times to bring it together into a rough ball — this helps create a crumbly, flaky texture. Pat into a disk about 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick.

Cut two large biscuits: use a 2 3/4-inch cutter or an inverted glass to cut two rounds. Re-shape scraps as needed and cut again. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart, brush tops lightly with a little milk if desired for browning.

Bake on center rack 12–15 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and let rest on a rack while you prepare gravy and eggs.

While biscuits bake (or once they are in the oven), heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the crumbled 8 oz pork breakfast sausage and cook, breaking into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes. If sausage renders a lot of fat, leave about 1 tablespoon in the pan; drain excess fat leaving roughly 1 tablespoon (or add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter if pan is dry).

If pan is very dry, add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, then sprinkle 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour evenly over the sausage. Stir and cook the flour for 1–2 minutes to remove raw flour taste and to combine with fat.

Slowly whisk in 1 1/2 cups whole milk, a little at a time, scraping browned bits from the pan. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until gravy thickens to a spoon-coating consistency, 3–5 minutes. If too thick, thin with up to 2 tablespoons extra milk.

Season gravy with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce if using. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep gravy warm on lowest heat setting, stirring occasionally.

About 3–5 minutes before you want to serve, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low to medium heat and add 1 teaspoon butter or oil. Crack 2 large eggs into the pan, keeping them separate, and cook to desired doneness for runny yolks: for sunny-side-up, cover pan with a lid and cook 2–3 minutes until whites are set but yolks remain runny; for over-easy, cook 2 minutes then gently flip and cook 15–30 seconds more.

Season eggs with a pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon) and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.

Alternatively, you may poach eggs: simmer water with a splash of vinegar and gently cook eggs 3 minutes for runny yolks. Drain on paper towel before plating.

Preheat oven or toaster oven according to package directions (typically 425°F / 220°C). Arrange 12 oz frozen tater tots on a baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly toss or spray with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Bake according to package instructions (usually 18–25 minutes), turning once halfway, until golden and crispy. Keep warm in oven (low setting) if needed while finishing other components.

Split each warm biscuit in half horizontally and place both halves on a plate (two full biscuits). Spoon a generous portion of sausage gravy over each biscuit half so they are well coated (about half the gravy per biscuit stack).

Top each gravy-covered biscuit with a runny fried or poached egg (one egg per biscuit). If desired, spoon a little extra gravy over the egg (taking care not to fully cook the yolk).

Place tater tots alongside the biscuits. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley and additional black pepper or hot sauce to taste.

Serve immediately so biscuits remain crumbly and eggs are runny.