Making Donald Link's Fried Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Gumbo making is stressful business for me.  I didn't grow up with a Southern Louisiana mama to show me the ropes, so I've had to figure it out on my own, with only vague recipes and the occasional video on making roux to assist me.  To be honest, I spent the first seven or eight years of living in New Orleans making gumbo from a box of Autin's Cajun Cookery gumbo mix.  When I finally decided that I really wanted to learn to make it from scratch, I realized that I was a complete idiot at making roux.  I didn't understand how long it was supposed to take to get dark brown.  Didn't know just how much to stir to keep it from burning.  Didn't understand how to get it from that medium caramel-y brown to the dark chocolatey brown it is supposed to be for gumbo without having a coronary in the process.  Still don't.  However, I persist.

For the Saints game on Saturday, we had our lovely neighbors over for gametime and dinner.  I decided to try the Fried Chicken and Andouille Gumbo recipe from Donald Link's Real Cajun.

Also made a side of his potato salad since I love a scoop of potato salad in the bowl alongside my rice.

The first thing I did wrong was grossly underestimate how long it would take to cook.  I skimmed the recipe a few times and settled on 2.5 - 3 hours in my mind.  It took much longer than that.  Probably closer to 6.  Making the roux took me an hour.  Is that right??  The book says that the process should take about 40 minutes, but I stirred and stirred and fretted and frowned over it and still didn't have the dark brown I needed until 60 full minutes had passed.  When I finally gave up and threw the onions in, it had just barely reached a dark brown and could easily have gone darker still, but I was so exhausted by the effort at that point that I decided good was good enough.  I don't know what I do wrong.  Maybe I stir too fast.  Maybe I'm too timid with the heat.  Whatever the case, making roux makes me feel like I'm going to have a panic attack, every time.  I've got to master this.  Any suggestions are welcomed.

Oh, the gumbo?  It was excellent.  Best gumbo I've ever made.  The poblano pepper and jalapeno made it lip tinglingly hot in just the right way.  The potato salad was a perfect accompaniment.  Donald Link mentions that he likes it in seafood gumbo, but it was delicious in the chicken andouille as well.  When all is said and done, I think that if I spend the next few years of my life figuring out how to perfect my roux technique on this gumbo recipe, it will be time well spent.

p.s.  I didn't use chicken on the bone for my gumbo, even though the recipe calls for it.  Kid Cayenne wouldn't have eaten it.  While I'm sure that using only boneless, skinless breast caused it to sacrifice in flavor, we didn't feel one bit deprived.  It was truly delicious.

p.p.s.  WHO DAT!