Fried Chicken Dinner

Cut up chicken, put it in a bowl, covered with buttermilk. I added pepper, thyme, Tabasco, salt to the buttermilk. Refrigerated for several hours. I took it out of the buttermilk, let it drip off, then rolled in a combination of flour and cornstarch. I let it sit for a few minutes. In a cast iron chicken fryer (extra high sides, but not as big as a dutch oven), I put a combination of vegetable oil and lard. When hot, I put the chicken in. Of course, I didn't follow real directions and overcrowded the pan, but I didn't really care and neither did the chicken. After it became golden, I transferred it to a rack on a cookie sheet (with low sides, catches the oil), and put it in the oven while I finished up the gravy, mashed potatoes and vegetables. For the gravy, I took some of the oil and "stuff" (bits of browned flour) from the chicken fryer, put it into a different pan, added leftover flour/cornstarch from the coating, making a roux. I added half-n-half, milk, and chicken stock (from simmering the back and neck with an onion all afternoon). I added thyme, sage, and more salt and pepper; let it cook until thickened and all the flour taste/texture cooked out.