Apple Sausage Gravy Dumplings

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add sausage. Cook and stir, breaking up chunks with a spatula, until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, add onions and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, until onions start to turn soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir in butter, and once melted, add flour. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add diced apple, and cook, stirring for another minute or so.

Pour in chicken broth, raise heat to high, and stir with a spoon, scraping up all the browned bits (fond) from the bottom. Add milk and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to between medium and medium-low, and simmer for about 15 minutes. For thicker gravy, mixture can be reduced further. Reduce heat to medium-low and prepare dumpling batter.

Combine egg, cider, creme fraiche, thyme, 2 tablespoons green onions, 1 teaspoon salt, and baking powder in a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Add 1 cup flour and whisk just until flour disappears. Clean off whisk with a spatula, and scrape down the sides of the bowl, mixing in any visible flour. Set batter aside until needed.

Stir gravy and taste for seasoning—add more salt if needed, plus freshly ground black pepper, cayenne, 1/4 cup green onions, and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. 

Raise heat to medium, and transfer generous, rounded teaspoons of dumpling batter on top of the simmering gravy.

Cover, and let cook, untouched, until dumplings are puffed up, and floating on top, 5 to 6 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center of a dumpling should come out clean. Serve immediately topped with additional green onions if desired.