Name: Duck-fat scones, smoked cheese, sausage gravy and fried eggs
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 300 gm (2 cups) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting; 2 tsp caster sugar; 60 gm duck fat; 175 ml buttermilk; 12 eggs; 250 gm smoked cheese, such as Gouda or cheddar, thinly sliced; Sausage gravy; 750 ml (3 cups) brown chicken stock (see note); 2 plain pork sausages (250gm); 140 ml vegetable oil; 60 gm butter, coarsely chopped; 60 gm plain flour

Duck-fat scones, smoked cheese, sausage gravy and fried eggs

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for duck-fat scones, smoked cheese, sausage gravy and fried eggs by Pinbone in Sydney.

Serves 6

Prep

30M

Cook

40M

Total

1H 10M

“We came across a great bakery in Charleston that had biscuits wrapped in foil, with either an egg and bacon or egg and sausage filling, sitting on the counter as little breakfast snacks,” says Mike Eggert. “We thought the idea was awesome, and we ate great sausage gravy all over America, so we mixed the two together.”

Ingredients

300 gm (2 cups) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

2 tsp caster sugar

60 gm duck fat

175 ml buttermilk

12 eggs

250 gm smoked cheese, such as Gouda or cheddar, thinly sliced

Sausage gravy

750 ml (3 cups) brown chicken stock (see note)

2 plain pork sausages (250gm)

140 ml vegetable oil

60 gm butter, coarsely chopped

60 gm plain flour

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 200C. Mix flour and sugar in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and rub in the duck fat until fully incorporated and resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre, add buttermilk and mix very gently with your fingertips until batter just comes together; take care not to overwork it or the scones will turn out like rock cakes. Transfer to a floured surface and pat out to a 2cm-3cm thick rectangle. Cut dough into 6 squares, place them close together on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake until scones have risen and are golden (12-15 minutes). Cool briefly on a wire rack, then split in half crossways and arrange on a baking tray.

2.For sausage gravy, warm stock in a large saucepan. Remove sausage meat from skins, heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over high heat, add sausage meat and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat into small pieces, until browned (4-6 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium-high, add butter to pan and, when melted, add flour and stir until golden (3-5 minutes). Add stock gradually (be careful, sauce may spit), stirring continuously to avoid lumps, and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook gravy until thickened to your liking (10-15 minutes). Add sausage meat and keep warm.

3.Preheat grill to high. Heat remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat and fry eggs in batches until just cooked (4-6 minutes). Place eggs on each scone half, top with cheese slices then grill to melt cheese (3-5 minutes). Serve scones hot with warm sausage gravy ladled over.

Note To make brown chicken stock, roast chicken bones in a hot oven until browned, then simmer, covered, in a saucepan of water until well flavoured.
Drink Suggestion: A perfectly roasted espresso from The Little Marionette. Drink suggestion by Berri Eggert
Notes