Buttermilk Biscuits with Eggs and Sausage Gravy

For the sausage: Combine the pork, garlic, sage, thyme, onion powder, and oil in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover the sausage and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Cook's Note: The sausage can be prepared 8 hours in advance and refrigerated. Form the sausage mixture into 8 patties. Heat a large nonstick pan over high heat and cook the patties until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
For the black pepper buttermilk biscuits: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using a dough cutter, combine the ingredients until they are incorporated. Cut in the butter using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and gently mix until the mixture just begins to come together.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly-floured counter. Pat the dough into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a 2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits. Press together the scraps of dough, and repeat the process. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with the black pepper. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a baking rack. Yields: 10 to 12 biscuits

For the cream sauce: Put the milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Melt the butter in a second small saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, do not allow the flour to color. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, increase the heat to high and continue whisking until the sauce begins to thicken and the raw taste of the flour has been cooked out, about 5 minutes; season with the salt and pepper. Keep warm. Yield: 2 cups

For the eggs: Beat the eggs in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter over low heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the eggs and cook slowly, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until soft curds form.

Slice each biscuit in half and put a sausage patty on the bottom of each biscuit and place the other half on top. Serve 2 sausage biscuits per person. Serve with cream sauce and scrambled eggs.