The sausage gravy that you get at most restaurants is long on gravy and short on sausage. Even Bob Evans Restaurants, who introduced me to the idea, has slacked off in recent years, to the point that I found it a necessity to come up with a simple recipe so that I could have this dish whenever I wanted it...both a good and a bad thing.
There are two recipes here, one for a small gathering of family and friends and one for the horde of men you might find at a pre-game get together breakfast. This recipe is not health food. It is not delicate. It is not sophisticated. It is tasty, stick to your ribs, yummy good breakfast fare. Serve on biscuits, which I think should be homemade, but this recipe is even good on the refrigerator case tube biscuits.
Break up and brown the sausage over medium heat in a pan large enough to contain all of the milk and ingredients. If the sausage leaves a LOT of grease, then skim some of it off, but I have found that the grease in the decent sausage (name brand, not the really cheap stuff) is about right. Sprinkle the flour across the top of the grease and sausage and keep it moving while the flour taste is cooking out of it. You are basically making a roux? using pork fat and flour. How bad can THAT be?
Add the milk, stirring constantly. Heat until it bubbles and thickens. You can serve at any time after it's thick. If you leave it on low heat and it gets too thick, add more milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on biscuits (right) or toast (if that's all you have) or even chicken fried steak?.