I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone who does not enjoy pouring gravy over turkey and mashed potatoes. There are only a few times a year when I make gravy and we always seem to look forward to those particular meals.
There is a world of difference between home made and store bought gravy. I’ve tried store bought, both in a jar and powdered and they just don’t compare to homemade gravy.
Before ever cooking your turkey, you’ll want to make turkey stock. This is basically turkey soup. Start with 4 cups water. Add some turkey parts. We don’t eat dark meat, so I use the dark meat to make the stock. Add one onion, chopped; a stalk of celery, chopped; and a couple of carrots, chopped. Let it simmer about an hour.
When you cook your turkey, you need to save all of the drippings. You’ll use both the stock from above and the drippings to make your turkey gravy.
Pour the drippings through a strainer and then measure. Add enough turkey stock to the drippings so that you end up with 4 cups of drippings/stock.
Melt ½ cup of butter in a saucepan. Add in ½ cup of flour, whisking constantly, for about 3 minutes. Very slowly add in your 4 cups of drippings/stock. Whisk as you are adding the drippings. Keep your heat on medium low and whisk until the gravy begins to thicken. You will probably need to add more flour. Add another ¼ cup as needed to achieve the right thickness. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
I’ve seen many recipes that call for cornstarch instead of flour. I prefer flour. I find it easier to work with.
If you want your gravy a bit lumpy with a dark rich color, scrape the bottom of the roaster. Those small chunky pieces are full or both flavor and color. Add them to your gravy.
You can pour this gravy over turkey, potatoes and stuffing.
Audrey :)
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