Respect the Roux

Growing up in the South, I have made gravy many times, which starts with some type of fat (oil, pork fat) and flour, which is browned before adding milk. But I had never made a roux for gumbo until I moved to Mississippi. Mardi Gras celebrations have introduced me to a number of new dishes and techniques. I started rethinking my approach to gumbo after watching the Top Chef Final Four descend into New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. So this weekend I made gumbo, and spent around 30 minutes browning the roux, which was scary, because I was worried it would go to black and burn I made it a few shades darker than this, and I have to admit it made all the difference to the final product. This is the recipe I used, although I subsituted turkey smoked sausage and a lot less chicken than he recommends.