Fried Biscuits

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and sift them into a deep bowl. Add the butter bits and, with your fingers, rub the flour and fat together until they resemble flakes of coarse meal.

Pour in the milk and toss lightly together with your fingers or a table fork.

Gather the dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured surface. Then roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick. With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, cut the dough into 1-1/2 inch rounds. Collect the scraps in a ball, roll them out again and cut as many more rounds as you can.

Melt lard in a heavy 12-inch skillet set over high heat. Or pour vegetable oil into a 12-inch skillet to a depth of about 1 inch. Heat the fat until it reaches a temperature of 375 degrees F on a deep-frying thermometer, or until it is very hot but not smoking.

Fry the biscuits for about 4 or 5 minutes, turning them with a slotted spatula until they are evenly browned on both sides. Transfer them to paper towels to drain.

Serve at once. Traditionally, the biscuits are placed on the dinner plates with Maryland fried chicken and masked with gravy.