If you are not careful, that gravy might do you in.

Dayton chef Anthony Head says lumpy gravy can bring down a holiday meal.

The cooking instructor at Miami Valley Career Technology Center offered the recipe below for a sauce that will win over your holiday guests.

Why have gravy with lumps when you can have a smooth, flavorful sauce?

Head’s “sweat mirepoix” (meaning to lightly cook until onions are translucent) uses a ratio of two parts onion, one part celery and one part carrot.

He said a veloute (in French literally means “velvetiness”) can be a sauce made from chicken, veal, fish or vegetable stock and cream. It is thickened with a butter and flour mixture known as roux.

In this version shown in the video above, Head used the pan drippings from a roasted meat as his butter substitute and eliminated the cream. *

Head’s recipe:

You’ll need

• 1 quart of stock, warmed (chicken or your choice unsalted or salted)

• 1/4 cup of blond roux (1:1 ratio of pan drippings or fat and flour)

• Kosher salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

• Pats of cold Butter to finish sauce (optional)

• 1/2 cup of mirepoix, Onions, celery, carrots, chopped (2:1:1 ratio)

What you’ll do

1) “De-fat” the pan by pouring out most of the pan drippings into a separate container, reserve.

2) Cook mirepoix in a little bit of pan drippings (until onions are translucent).

3) Deglaze pan with a little bit of stock to dissolve browned bits at the bottom of pan. Let it cook out.

4) Add equal parts flour and pan drippings to the pan to create a roux; cook into pasty texture.

5) Add warmed stock about four ounces at a time, whisking into flour mixture. Continue adding stock and whisking roux until velvety texture is achieved.

6) Pats of butter can be added at the end to assist in texture and sheen. Strain out mirepoix sauce and serve over item of choice.

* Note, If you don’t want to use a roux or cream, you can use a food processor to blend up the cooked mirepoix and thin it out with stock. It will also reduce the need to use butter as the carrots will give it a velvety smooth mouth feel and the celery and onions will really step up the savoriness of the sauce.

First in our holiday cooking series: ‘We live in a very dangerous world’

Second in our holiday cooking series: “Don’t experiment with your family”

Third in our holiday cooking series:Don’t give your family a frankenturkey