Horse Manure or White Sauce

Some time ago my friend Gary and I were discussing the care and management of our respective asparagus patches. We had opposing notions regarding the advisability of using rock salt as a weed deterrent. When another friend happened into the room, he asked, "Pat what does your father put on his asparagus?" She replied, "horse manure".
Between fits of laughter I asked, "What would be wrong with a nice white sauce?"
Well there is nothing wrong with a nice white sauce, but there is something wrong with an ordinary old white sauce. So here's how I like to elevate a typical white sauce recipe to a luscious, lip-licking one with just some simple additions.
Recipe:
2 T. real butter
A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
2 T. all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk (or lighten it up with 2% but no fat-free please!)
A pinch of grated nutmeg
S & P to taste
Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the thyme leaves and cook over low heat just a moment or two until aromatic and golden. Whisk in the flour and slowly add the milk stirring the entire while. When the sauce becomes thickened add the grated nutmeg (yes, I have one of those little micro plane graters and real nuts) and salt and pepper. It's yummy on asparagus and almost every other vegetable, but I bet it would also be good atop meatloaf or biscuits. Of course if you want to take your sauce to a decadent level, grate some Smoked Gouda Cheese over the dish and you are in Heaven--much better than horse manure!

A pink Depression Glass dish holds this serving.