Cheddar, Sausage, Rosemary Biscuits

So I just moved to my pretty new apartment with my roommate Kim, and I needed to thank the army of guy friends I ~~recruited~~ co-erced to carry all my furniture and numerous belongings with what else but food. I figured what better way to christen our new kitchen.

I was looking for “manly” baked goods, and was excited to try this savory biscuit recipe from Epicurious – we substituted jalapeno sausage for bacon and rosamary for chives. Next time I would definitely add more “stuff” as well as salt and pepper since it was too bland for me.

Judging from the guys’ reactions, I’d say this is a man -approved recipe.

Ingredients
diced sausage (or bacon)
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
rosemary
1 3/4 cups milk plus 1 3/4 tablespoons white vinegar (for buttermilk)

Directions
Position rack just above center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add chilled butter cubes; blend until coarse meal forms.

Add cheddar cheese, rosemary, and sausage; toss to blend. Gradually add buttermilk, stirring to moisten evenly (batter will feel sticky).

Using lightly floured hands, drop batter for each biscuit onto prepared baking sheet. Bake biscuits until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Notes: This recipe made about 24 biscuits – I used a muffin pan and a cookie tray. The cookie tray gave a nice biscuit shape, but it didn’t cook as evenly (perhaps since we put the tray at the bottom of the oven). The muffin pan was placed in the center and gave a more all around even golden color.