Country Gravy

A peppery Southern-style cream gravy, made by thickening milk with flour and the savory drippings left in the pan from frying pork chops or chicken. It's built like a béchamel but with all that browned fond standing in for plain butter, which gives it a rich, meaty flavor — spoon it generously over fried chops, chicken, or biscuits.

Makes about 1½ cups

Ingredients

• Pan drippings from frying a pork chop (about 3 tablespoons, with browned bits)
• 3 tablespoons flour (reserved from breading, or fresh)
• 1½ cups milk, warmed
• Salt and plenty of black pepper

Sauces

Beurre Monté Hot Wing Sauce B Beurre Blanc Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Port Reduction Sauce Sauce au Poivre Mustard Sauce Sauce Bordelaise Sauce Marsala Tare Teriyaki Sauce Plum Sauce Barbecue Sauce Béchamel Cheese Sauce Tomato Basil Sauce

Concentrating Flavor→

Method

Make the roux

In the same pan used to fry the pork chops, over medium heat, sprinkle the flour into the reserved drippings and browned bits, stir to form a paste, and cook 1–2 minutes.

Add the milk

Slowly whisk in the warm milk, stirring out any lumps as you go, then simmer, stirring often, until thickened, 5–7 minutes. Season generously with salt and black pepper.