If you’re looking to wow your guests this holiday season, forget the prepackaged gravy options and fill grandma’s gravy boat with this perfect, made-from-scratch Thanksgiving turkey gravy, which is prepared from turkey stock and the neck and drippings from your roasted turkey. It’s a little extra effort, sure, but this rich, velvety gravy may just be the star of your holiday table.
Note that the gravy base can be made the day before Thanksgiving and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until you roast the turkey; you’ll just need to gently reheat the base before using it to make gravy.
Cutter Automotive Galleries's Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey Gravy
Total prep time: 30 minutes
Active time: 30 minutes
Yield or number served: 6-8 cups gravy
Ingredients
For gravy base:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Turkey neck
½ cup apple cider
8 cups turkey stock (substitute chicken stock)
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
For gravy:
½ cup dry white wine
Freshly prepared gravy base
½ cup reserved turkey fat
½ cup all-purpose flour
Directions
1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and oil until the butter melts and the oil shimmers. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and turkey neck. Sauté about 15 minutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are caramelized.
2. Add apple juice to the vegetables to deglaze the pan. As you stir, be sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat and let simmer about 5 minutes, until the mixture reduces slightly.
3. Add turkey stock, whole peppercorns, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 1 hour.
4. Remove the gravy base from the heat, strain, and set aside.
5. After removing your turkey from the roasting pan, pour off the drippings, skim the fat, and reserve both the drippings and the fat. Place the roasting pan over high heat and add the white wine to deglaze the pan.
6. Add the de-fatted drippings back to the pan along with the gravy base. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.
7. In a small sauté pan, heat the reserved turkey fat with enough butter to equal 1/2 cup of fat. When the fat is hot, whisk in the flour until combined and cook, whisking constantly, over low heat, until the roux browns lightly and releases a nutty smell.
8. A little bit at a time, whisk small amounts of the roux into the gravy to thicken the gravy, whisking in more roux until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and serve warm.
