1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup flour
4 cups vegetable broth
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (whistling Scarborough Fair is optional)

Heat up an empty saucepan on medium heat and then add the oil. Slowly add the flour a small bit at a time and beat it with a wire whisk until it is fully absorbed, then add more. I am told this is called making a "roux". Then do the same thing with the broth: add a small bit at a time and whisk it, then add more. The broth will steam and burn your hands. Be a man and keep whisking. Only Frank Zappa makes good lumpy gravy.

Season with the herbs to taste. Go easy on the rosemary; a little of that goes a long way.

The gravy will thicken as it sits, so don't worry if it looks too watery after you've added all the broth. It's actually a good thing to make early in your big meal prep and then you can heat it up again at the end.

For oil, i prefer olive but canola will do if that's all you have. The type of flour you use will affect the consistency and flavor. We normally use white wheat, but regular white flour or wheat flour will produce good results too.

For vegetable broth, i like using Rapunzel bouillon cubes, but i suppose any vegetable broth would do, even a couple cans of Swanson. Since we use bouillon, the broth is usually already hot or at least warm when we're adding it. If you are using something out of a can or similar, you may want to heat it up first. Adding cold liquid to the roux will make it more likely your gravy comes out lumpy.

When i halve the recipe, i still use the same amount of oil.