Fried Chicken with Gravy

Ingredients

• 0.1 teaspoon pepper black to taste
• 4 tablespoons skillet drippings 
• 0.3 cup unsifted flour all-purpose
• 2 cups milk (the McCollums don't)
• 0.5 teaspoon salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon water 
• 1 can lard for frying (Mrs. McCollum used lard)
• 3 pound broiler-fryer for frying (see Note above)
• 3 pound broiler-fryer for frying (see Note above)

Equipment

• frying pan
• whisk
• gravy boat

Directions

1. Arrange the pieces of chicken, not touchingand one layer deep, in a shallow baking dishor nonreactive pan.
2. Sprinkle with the salt,cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3. When ready to fry the chicken, drain off all accumulatedjuices and pat the chicken dry on severalthicknesses of paper toweling.
4. Sprinkle thechicken with the pepper, then dredge by shakinga few pieces at a time in the flour in a plasticzipper bag. As you remove the chicken from thedredging flour, shake off the excess flour.
5. Pour the oil into a large iron skillet until aboutan inch deep, set over moderate heat, and assoon as steam begins to rise from the oil, addthe pieces of chicken, skin side down. Fryslowly for 30 minutes, keeping the heat atmoderate or moderately low so that thechicken doesn't overbrown; turn and fry 30minutes more.
6. Add the 1 tablespoon water(the oil will spit and sputter), cover the skillet,and let stand until the spitting stops.
7. Remove the chicken to several thicknesses ofpaper toweling to drain, arranging so thepieces don't touch one another. Also lay asheet of paper toweling on top.
8. Pour the oil and drippings fromthe skillet, then spoon 4 tablespoons of themback into the skillet. Blend in the flour, and cookand stir over moderately low heat for about 5minutes or until a nice rich brown.
9. Whisk in thewater, salt, and pepper, then cook, whiskingconstantly, for about 5 minutes or until thickened,smooth, and no raw starch taste lingers.Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
10. Pour the gravy into a heated gravy boat.
11. Pile the chicken onto a heated platter andserve. Pass the gravy along with a basket offresh-baked biscuits.
12. Reprinted with permission from A Love Affair with Southern Cooking: Recipes and Recollections by Jean Anderson, © 2007 Harper
13. Collins