Homemade Barnyard Busters are my attempt to recreate a favorite restaurant breakfast from my post-college days. Biscuits, eggs, and sliced potatoes are topped with sausage gravy. You can make everything from scratch or sub your favorite frozen/canned biscuits, and frozen potatoes.
I love breakfast. I make no secret of that fact. I could eat breakfast food all day, every day.
When I still lived in Ohio, after nights of weekend drinking, we’d go to some 24-hour restaurant and eat breakfast. Perkins, the “Dangerous” Denny’s, the Blue Danube, and every so often, Tee Jayes Country Place.
Back in the day, my favorite thing to order at Tee Jayes was The Barnyard Buster. The picture on the menu isn’t accurate, but the description is.
The whole plate would come out covered in sausage gravy, and underneath would be eggs, a couple biscuits and home fries. And I usually would clean my plate.
About once every two or three years, I get a craving for one. I have to make them at home, as there are no Tee Jayes locations here in South Dakota. I think Perkins has a very similar breakfast, but the hash browns are shredded potatoes, so it’s just not quite right.
My homemade version comes pretty close, even if it’s not perfect.
Yesterday, the bambino attended another session of Kids in the Kitchen at Hy-Vee this weekend. While he was in class, I wandered around the grocery store, and saw some Jones Dairy Farm sausage on sale. Since it was bulk sausage, I got to thinking that I could maybe make biscuits and gravy, which then made me think of the Barnyard Buster, so here we are!
And yes, I cleaned my plate:
I am stuffed to the gills and am pretty sure I won’t need to eat again for the rest of the day! That is the beauty of the weekend brunch/breakfast. You won’t need to eat again until dinner if you make a Homemade Barnyard Buster yourself.
Homemade Barnyard Busters

Ingredients
- 8 biscuits, store-bought or homemade
- 4 medium potatoes, sliced thin
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 8 eggs, cooked as desired
- 1 12-oz. roll sausage
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 C milk
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the biscuits as directed. Prepare the eggs as desired.
- In a medium skillet, melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium heat. Layer about half of the potatoes, then dot with 1 Tbsp of butter and season with salt and pepper. Layer the other half of the potatoes, dot with the remaining Tbsp of butter, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and let cook at least 10 minutes, lowering heat to medium-low. Uncover and flip, and continue cooking until potatoes are golden and slightly crispy.
- In a large skillet, break the sausage into smaller pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until browned and no longer pink.
- Sprinkle the sausage with the flour and cook and stir about 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until thickened, 8-10 minutes.
- To serve: Place 2 eggs and 1/4 of the potatoes on a plate. Split 2 biscuits in half, placing them around the eggs and potatoes. Spread 1/4 of the sausage gravy over the top.
That looks just … outstanding. Wow!
Thank you! It was delicious. :)
You must have gone to OSU!! I LOVED the Barnyard Buster from Tee Jaye’s when I was in college and even worked there for a short time. Also loved the Blue Danube as well. Go Bucks!
Not OSU, but Capital. :) And The Dube was awesome! I also really really miss Adriatico’s Pizza.
Ya killing me as usual!!!!! Mmmmmmmmm
Haha! It is definitely not a breakfast for the faint-of-heart.
Wow, talk about delicious comfort food! Back in my days of clubbing, we’d stop at some diner around 3:00 am for a big breakfast! Ah, those were the days… ;)
Some days I miss doing stuff like, other days, I think bed at 9:30 PM sounds better! :D
Love the Barnyard Buster, scrambled eggs every time. If I make it I just used canned or sausage gravy in a jar. When I do go to Tee Jays I kick it up a notch or 2 by asking them to put it over cornbread instead of Biscuits. Texture & taste is sooooo much better. I ask for a side of grilled onions to put on top ( as a side so, I can actually tell where they are, cause it’s hard enough to tell where everything is with all that gravy on it). Thanks for the recipe, will have to try it.
Ooh, I’ve never made them with cornbread, but I’m going to try that next time. I hope you enjoy the homemade version.