Servings: 1 quart
Preheat:
Prep Time: 30 minutes, 2 hours total
Source: Brendan Webster
After the turkey, it’s the gravy that makes the Thanksgiving dinner. While the turkey cools down, you prepare this finale, piping hot, flavorful, and in abundance. Make a well in each serving of mashed potatoes with the ladle full of gravy, spoon it over the turkey, stuffing and wild rice.
You can make your turkey gravy stock way ahead of time. When the turkey is done and the roaster de-greased, blend the gravy stock into the roasting juices.
Ingredients:
For the brown turkey stock:
The turkey giblets (neck, heart, gizzard)
4 tbs cooking oil
2 C each chopped onion and carrots
1 C dry white wine or 2/3 C dry white French vermouth
2 C chicken stock or canned broth
Water as needed
Salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried, or 1 tbs chopped fresh, thyme and sage
Finishing the gravy:
(These are approximate amounts)
1/2 C of the liquid fat from the turkey
1/2-3/4 C flour
All of the juices from the turkey pan, poured through a gravy separator; set the fat and juices aside in separate bowls
The giblet stock
The coagulated juices from the turkey (these will remain in the roasting pan which you will use for preparing the gravy)
Directions:
For the stock:
Chop the neck into 2-inch pieces, quarter the gizzard, and halve the heart. Dry in paper towels. Heat oil in a heavy 3-qt saucepan, stir in the giblets and brown them rapidly on all sides, regulating heat so oil does not burn. Remove giblets and stir in the vegetables; cover and cook slowly 5-8 minutes until tender. Then uncover, raise heat, and brown lightly for several minutes. Return giblets to pan, add wine, stock, and enough water to cover ingredients by an inch. Salt lightly, add herbs, and simmer partially covered for 21/2 to 3 hours. Strain, pressing the juices out of the vegetables. Taste for seasoning.
Finishing the gravy:
Pour the fat into the roasting pan. Tipping the pan slightly so that the fat is toward you, scoop 1/3 of the flour into the pan above the fat. Work the flour into the fat, a bit at a time, while also scraping the pan drippings into the resulting roux. When all the flour has been incorporated into the fat, you will have a thick brown roux. Cook this carefully for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat off, and gradually add the drippings (juices) from the turkey. You will have a very thick sauce to which you add your giblet stock a cup at a time with the heat turned to low. Keep adding stock, thinning your gravy until it is the consistency you like. Turn your heat down very low as you carve the turkey. When you are ready to serve, check for consistency, adding as much stock as the roux will bear so that you will have as much gravy as you need.
Pour the gravy into gravy boats for the table.