Country White Gravy is a staple in Appalachian cooking. Especially among the poorer folk as you can make a lot of it for pennies. There’s a saying in my family: “You’ll never go hungry with country white gravy.”
After browning meat in a pan, it is poured over hot biscuits and sometimes served with ground sausage. It is just fine on it’s own, however as this is a no frills meal. It’s a stick to your ribs, grow hair on your men’s chest type of dinner.
Instead of breakfast, this is usually a dinner or supper meal. Sort of off topic, but lunch was called dinner and dinner was called supper by my grandparents. I still catch myself asking what’s for supper and getting strange looks by my peers. Whatever time of day you serve country gravy, your family will thank you if they love country cooking.
So this particular recipe will be using butter instead of lard or fat drippings. My grandmother often used butter or vegetable oil when she didn’t want the taste of meat with the country gravy or wanted to cook a little healthier.
You know the fat you typically drain away meats to avoid unnecessary saturated fats? It is welcome in country cuisine. It’s probably why there is a lot of health issues later on down the road so I recommend doing this sparingly. Feel free to go old school and use that lard and ignore my health tip. It certainly gives a depth of flavor you just can’t imagine until you’ve tried it.
Now: I’ve got a secret to confess: I am not a fan of country white gravy. Actually, I have a strong distaste for it, but that’s okay. Not everyone likes everything you make. With or without sausage, it just tastes like floury milk paste waiting for more ingredients. You can cook it till it’s golden brown and it still reminds me of the glue they gave us as young children that the boys in class would dare each other to eat. However, my family is a huge advocate that I still cook it to avoid grumblings at gatherings.
In a saucepan, turn the heat to medium, add butter. 
Let it start to melt. 
When it is mostly melted, add the flour. 
Stir quickly to avoid lumps. 
It will thicken and brown. Congratulations, you just made a roux! 
Add a little more milk and keep stirring. 
At this point, you can add the remaining milk. 
Cook until temperature reaches 165F (74C.)
Country Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240mL) milk
- 3 tbs (30g) flour
- 2 tbs (30g) butter, lard, grease or oil
- ½ tsp (2.5g) salt
- ½ tsp (1g) black pepper
Instructions
- In a skillet, melt butter on a medium heat. Add flour and stir until a paste forms and turns a light brown. This takes about 5 – 10 minutes, depending on desired color.
- Add in milk, 1/8th of a cup at a time stirring quickly to avoid lumps. Add as much milk as desired to achieve desired thickness.
- Once all the milk is incorporated, turn heat to low and continue stirring until desired thickness is achieved and temperature reaches 165F (74C.) Stir in salt and pepper. Serve while hot.
This is just a Recipe for White Sauce or a Simple Bechamel Start.
Add cheese to it and it is cheese sauce.
Definitely NOT A GRAVY!!
You are correct in the fact this recipe is based on the French’s famous white sauce. All recipes have origins, after all. White gravy is simply an Appalachian/Southern version of béchamel sauce that is cooked to have a thicker consistency and is made with a variety of fats.
During times of hardship, this simple sauce (or gravy as we call it) was often all our kinfolk could afford to feed their loved ones. There were times all you got was stale bread cut up and a white gravy poured over it made from the grease left in the skillet from a previous meal. Our ancestors would often spread the sauce over biscuits, eggs, potatoes, meat and pretty much every savory item on their plate to make the meal more hardy and to stretch meals out for quite large families. There were times all you got was white gravy and nothing else to eat.
Because it is used as a warm topping in country cuisine, it is simply known as gravy in these parts. It has long since become a favored staple in Appalachian cooking and unlike white sauce, this gravy can be made with the fat from lard, butter, bacon or sausage drippings, margarine, oil or even vegetable shortening. It is and will always be proudly referred to by country folk as “gravy,” “white gravy,” “white country gravy” or “country gravy.” Hope this clarifies why it is indeed considered a recipe for gravy.
Great recipe! I make mine with olive oil, helps with the guilt of having gravy for dinner! I can wait to try your pumpkin rolls, they look delicious!
Fantastic advice on using olive oil as a healthy alternative. I’ll do that next time I make the gravy for family. Thank you, Martha!