The deeply browned and greasy scrapings from the bottom of the roasting pan might not look like much when you first take the turkey out of the oven. But those drippings are Thanksgiving manna. Let's make some gravy.
There are many diverse and wonderful ways that you can make gravy. You can make it with giblets or you can make it just with broth. You can even make it weeks ahead of time to save yourself some kitchen frenzy on Thanksgiving day.
My favorite is a plain, old-fashioned gravy from the pan drippings made just seconds before setting all the food on the table. This makes for a deeply flavorful gravy that enhances everything on the plate with a touch of savory goodness.
It's also one of the easiest gravies to make, in my opinion. From roux to table, it takes about five minutes and requires only a pan and a whisk. That's something we can handle even after a long day of cooking with the promise of dinner only moments away.
Quick Turkey Gravy
What You Need
Ingredients
1/4 cup turkey fat (substitute: vegetable oil or butter)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pan drippings
1-2 cups broth or water
salt and pepper
Optional Extras: splash of sherry, splash of wine, teaspoon of minced herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage
Equipment
a measuring cup
a saucepan
a whisk
Instructions
1. Gravy Prep - After you've removed the turkey from the oven and set it aside to rest, set the pan over medium-high heat on the stove-top. You may need to span two burners. When the pan drippings are hot and sputtering, pour in a cup of broth and begin scraping all the bits from the bottom of the pan.
2. Separate the Fat and Drippings - Pour the deglazed pan drippings into a measuring cup and place this in the refrigerator or freezer, wherever there is space. In the 30 minutes it takes to rest the turkey, the fat and drippings will separate and the fat will begin to harden. This makes it easier to skim off just the fat for making the gravy.
You should ideally end up with about a cup of pan drippings and 1/4 cup of fat. If you have less, you can make up the difference with broth or oil, respectively. If you have more, discard a little of the fat and use less broth in the next step. If you have a lot more, you can also double the recipe.
3. Make a Roux - Skim the fat from the top of the pan drippings (or use a fat separator) and warm it in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the fat is hot, whisk in the flour to form a thin paste. Let this cook for a few minutes until bubbly.
4. Add the Pan Drippings - Next up, pour in the pan drippings and whisk to combine with the roux. This will form a thick, gloppy paste.
5. Add the Broth - Finish the gravy by whisking in a half cup of broth. You can add more broth for a thinner gravy or let the gravy cook a few minutes for a thicker gravy. Taste the gravy and add salt, pepper, and any extras to taste.
Additional Notes:
• For a very smooth gravy, strain the pan drippings before adding them to the gravy.
• Gravy can be kept refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to three months. Reheat gently over low heat while whisking occasionally to prevent the sauce from breaking.
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(Images: Emma Christensen)
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I use cornstarch as a thickener because it's so much easier and quicker than making a roux; it's also safer, since the chances of getting lumpy or underthickened gravy are pretty much zero. My method: after removing the turkey from the roasting pan, put the pan over two burners and bring the drippings to a boil. You may or may not want to add broth to the drippings, depending on how much you've got. Usually little or no broth is necessary, but a splash of white wine is a nice addition. Whisk together 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and a half cup of water until it forms a smooth slurry. Add half of the slurry to the boiling drippings and whisk it in. Allow it to return to a boil and assess the consistency. (My favorite way to decide is to dip a spoon in, turn it over and run my finger through the gravy on the back. If it makes a clean line that stays clean, it's thick enough.) Add as much of the remaining slurry as necessary for your desired consistency. Turn down to a simmer for a few minutes. Salt to taste.
I use cornstarch like gildeddawn, but roux tastes way better.
We do our gravy when we clean and prep the turkey in the morning, pull out the giblets, toss it in a small saucepan with celery, onion, some seasonings and water and just let it cook low all day long. When the turkey is done, strain off the liquid from the saucepan (feed the giblets to our pets!) add the drippings, cornstarch slurry and seasoning to taste.
I'm definitely a roux type of girl. And I cook it till its good and golden and nutty smelling. Makes for finger licking' gravy. All this turkey talk is making me wish I was doing the turkey this year, but alas, I'll be having MIL's turkey (or oversized chicken) which she never really seems a fan of cooking. And she's been known to serve gravy from a jar... At least I get to bring Ina's Mac and Cheese.
no, no, no, this is awful. Make gravy like this:
1. Vegetable trivet (Crudely sliced celery, carrots, onions, garlic, olive oil)
2. Roast meat on top of trivet (keep veg moderately moist so they dont burn)
3. Jamie Oliver's gracy
Cornstarch leads to gelatinous, slimy gravy. My parents have rehashed the slimy cornstarch gravy we had at a friend's house at Thanksgiving in 1988 at EVERY Thanksgiving since, no exaggeration. It's like a T-day tradition with them.
Roux gravy all the way!
I'm a fan of both cornstarch gravy and roux gravy. Roux gravy has a nice under flavor. Cornstarch gravy is wonderful because your celiac's suffering friends can eat gluten free gravy.
Your cornstarch gravy should NEVER be gelatinous or slimy! Yikes! That's probably a case of using far too much cornstarch, or possibly having the broth be on too strong a boil when you put it in. Try cutting the cornstarch down drastically, drizzling it in slowly at a low simmer, and letting the gravy slowly firm itself up while you stir it. I tend to go for a consistency that is even slightly looser that roux gravy, because that's when cornstarch gravy really shines.
Broth for gravy can easily be made from the giblet packet located inside the cavity of the bird. Just add slightly more (cold) water than you need for the recipe, along with the giblets, maybe a bay leaf and some whole peppercorns. Simmer for 2 hours as your bird cooks. Ta-Da!
When you take the turkey out, set the pan over two burners on the stove. Just leave all the drippings right there in the pan. No need to measure anything. Add a few tablespoons of flour and whisk it into the drippings. You can add add a splash of wine if you want. Or not. Add enough of your turkey neck stock to thin it to your desired consistency. That's it.
Even better is to make gravy the night before using a dark roux and cooked low and slow for a good 30 minutes after you add the stock. Anything with a roux tastes much MUCH better with a longer cooking time. The next day, deglaze the turkey pan and add the drippings to the gravy. Less stress and much tastier.
I make a big batch of turkey stock in late October so that I have it on hand for everything Turkey day.
Keep in mind that dark roux don't thicken as well as lighter roux, so you need to use more of them - sometimes a lot more - and they can overpower the somewhat delicate flavor of turkey. I'd go with a pale golden roux for turkey gravy.
You should never just dump flour into drippings to make gravy - it's uncooked wheat and will give your gravy a nasty, gummy, raw dough flavor. You can add uncooked flour to turkey grease, butter, lard or other fats and brown it there before adding liquid, though.
Mom's Gravy..Heat up the turkey pan on 2 burners, have 1/2 cup flour at the ready and a pan of warm stock, about 2 cups. heat drippings and sprinkle the flour all over, let bubble.)There's a great tool out there just for gravy, it looks like a smashed fork with 5 prongs. erfect!
Start stirring up those bits and the flour will begin to thicken, slowly add turkey stock, but keep it cooking on low, stir, add more stock, etc, till silky smooth. I add sage and pepper to taste, salt at very end. let simmer, to cook , about 30 min, then keep warm to serve (those little crock pots are great!)
This is my favorite type of gravy. I love to add a splash of apple cider of apple cider vinegar to it to give it an extra something.
NO FLOUR! A splash of alcohol, and a good dollop of butter! Reduce, and add a bit more butter.
My mom's trick. We always had mashed russet potatoes with turkey. Deglaze the turkey pan with the reserved salted water the potatoes were bolied in. Using a baster is faster than the fridge method to remove fat. Put defatted broth into a saucepan and heat to simmer. Shake flour - about two tablespoons - in a jar with enough water to make a thick mixture. Pour slowly while stirring into simmering broth until desired thickness of gravy is reached.Thickening should occur fairly quickly. Add more flour water if needed. Taste to adjust salt and add pepper if desired. Keep gravy warm over very low heat until serving. The combination of potato starch and wheat flour is almost magical, leading to a silken smooth gravy with a rich taste. This technique works with other meat juices too. It is worth the effort to boil a russet potato, even if you aren't planning to serve it, just to get the potato water.