I flipped through this month’s issue of Bon Appétit (such luscious photography that I’m getting hungry just remembering it) and a single line from a Father’s Day feature stuck in my head. The author of the piece was describing what he’ll be doing with his daughters on his day of honor, and among other things, eating “biscuits stuffed with Jimmy Dean sausage (judge away!) slathered in honey”. Say what? I immediately decided I’d have to recreate this decadent scenario, with tweaks to my own taste. No Jimmy Dean sausage, for starters. Maybe a high-quality gluten-free sausage? No, the fat would probably crack the biscuit open and run everywhere on the baking sheet as it rendered inside while baking. A lean meat… but nothing so un-fun as ground chicken… Bison! Lean yet delicious and somewhat readily available from specialty grocery store. I moved on to the question of a grain-free biscuit.

I used a Paleo biscuit recipe from Paleo Comfort Foods in my Paleo Chicken and Biscuit recipe, but I knew I’d need something less crumbly, with more elasticity if I intended to stretch it around a meat filling and have it hold its shape when pinched shut. The answer? Paleo Spirit’s Paleo Dinner Rolls (which I adapted away from the original by adding black pepper, changing the ratio of coconut flour to arrowroot flour and subbing coconut oil for olive oil). Apologies for the finicky coconut flour measurement… but it’s important to get the balance of coconut flour to wet ingredients just right! I also rolled my biscuit dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap (no mess and imprecision from flouring your hands with arrowroot) because it makes the biscuits very uniform but it was would be much easier and work almost as well to simply press the dough into approximately round disks with your palm before filling with the meat mixture. Your choice!

One last thing to note: the purpose of sautéing the filling before stuffing the biscuits is to cook off the fat from the meat and the water from the vegetables. However, you can skip this step if presentation isn’t of paramount important, and you don’t mind a bit of fat cracking the biscuits and seeping out. I made these both ways (with the filling raw going in and pre-cooked) and while the pre-cooked version is the one in this post’s photos, there’s something decadent about the flavor of the biscuits when they’re soaked in bacon fat as the raw filling cooks in the oven. If you’re pressed for time? Raw version, all the way. 🙂

The only imperfect thing about these biscuits is that I won’t be baking them for my Dad this Father’s Day. He’s back in Texas with the rest of my family, but I’ll be sending good vibes his way and this biscuit recipe will still be here next year!

Bison-Stuffed Black Pepper Biscuits

Rachel Marion I flipped through this month’s issue of Bon Appétit (such luscious photography that I’m getting hungry just remembering it) and a single line from a Father’s Day feature stuck in my head. The author of the piece was describing what he’ll be doing with his daughters on his day of honor, and among other things, eating “biscuits […] Breakfast Bison-Stuffed Black Pepper Biscuits European Print This

Serves: 12 Prep Time: 1 hour Cooking Time: 45 minutes 45 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• Dough2 ½ cups arrowroot flour¾ cup plus 2 tbsp coconut flour1 cup coconut oil1 cup warm water2 eggs2 tsp salt4 tsp black pepper Filling½ lb ground bison1 jalapeño, cored and seeded1 onion, roughly chopped½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to the 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. To make the filling, add the ground bison to a dry cast-iron skillet, breaking it up with a spoon. Heat the bison for five minutes over medium high heat until the fat has begin to render.
3. Pulse the onion and jalapeño in a food processor until finely diced, then add the salt, onions and jalapeño to the bison in the pan.
4. Cook over medium heat until the fat from the meat and the moisture from the vegetables has been cooked away, approximately 20 minutes. Let cool.
5. To make the dough, combine the arrowroot flour, coconut flour, salt, black pepper, coconut oil, eggs and warm water.
6. Mix thoroughly, then roll out a handful of dough between two sheets of plastic wrap or press to ¼” thick disk approximately 4″ in diameter with your hands.
7. Use the plastic wrap to ease the disc of dough into your flat palm with outstretched fingers. If the dough cracks or tears, you’ll simple pinch it closed later around the filling.
8. Spoon a tablespoon or so of the filling into the dough, those close your fist to press the dough closed. Roll the biscuit lightly between your hands (damp hands facilitate this) to even out lumps and to make sure there are no cracks.
9. Pat the biscuits slightly flat, then place on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Top with freshly cracked black pepper. Continue rolling out the dough into disks, filling with bison, pinching closed and patting flat until you’ve used all of the dough.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, serve warm.