Cast Iron

Red-eye gravy

by:
October 29, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

This is NOT necessarily a Thanksgiving recipe, unless you want to have it with your biscuits for Thanksgiving breakfast. It is, however, wonderful with ham, biscuits and fried eggs, and I recently had it over shrimp and grits in New Orleans and was stunned by how well it went together! This is not for the faint of heart; it is a strong, tangy, salty gravy, but it tastes like fall mornings. —Kayb

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2-4 slices country ham or other cured ham
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup strong brewed (not flavored, please!) coffee
  • 1 cup water
Directions
  1. Fry the ham in a cast-iron skillet. Pour off all but about 2 tbsp of drippings.
  2. Scatter the flour over the drippings. Stir until flour takes on a brown tone and smells nutty.
  3. Pour in coffee and bring to a boil, reducing by about a third.
  4. Pour in water, stir to combine, and serve. Gravy will be thin.
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  • Daphne
    Daphne
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    Louisa
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
Kayb
I'm a business professional who learned to cook early on, and have expanded my tastes and my skills as I've traveled and been exposed to new cuisines and new dishes. I love fresh vegetables, any kind of protein on the grill, and breakfasts that involve fried eggs with runny yolks. My recipes tend toward the simple and the Southern, with bits of Asia or the Mediterranean or Mexico thrown in here and there. And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a float in the lake, as pictured, is a pretty fine lunch!

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3 Reviews

Daphne
Daphne November 10, 2010
Can't wait to try this! Frequented Dot's Diner in Boulder Co. in the 70's for breakfast on Sun. mornings, often after trudging miles through the snow: eggs, grits,sausage, biscuits, red-eye gravy+ hot coffee at the counter. Their red eye gravy had cream or milk in it, but I know it traditionally doesn't.
 
Louisa
Louisa October 30, 2010
You're right--you can skip the ham. Just Red Eye gravy and biscuits. My dad's Red Eye doesn't call for flour or water--just drippings and coffee. Thin and strong.
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen October 30, 2010
My friend Peg from down south introduced me to this classic! Thanks for including this. I love the color and prefer the thin-ness.