Make-Ahead Gravy
This is part 2 of our “Lets Make Thanksgiving Stress-Free” posts. Gravy.
Gravy stresses a lot of people out. There is the dreaded “lumps” that seem to appear out of nowhere (more on this below). The unclear sense of adequate volume- too much? too little? I think the largest contributor is the fact that gravy is generally made after the turkey comes out of the oven, during that crisis “go time” when you are making sure the table is fully set, trying to re-heat anything that has gone cold and generally coral everyone to the table. The last thing you need to be doing is whisking vigorously over a hot stove. And you don’t have to!
Gravy can be made entirely advance and reheated. It can even be frozen if you are an extreme overachiever who wants to start prepping Thanksgiving during bathing suit weather. It does not suffer flavour by being made in advance, and if you fear that a lack of turkey drippings will be noticed or wasteful- feel free to add them in at the end.
The key to making sure your gravy actually tastes like turkey without using the drippings is simply to use turkey parts. Fortunately each turkey you buy at the supermarket comes wrapped like a little present, with gifts stuffed inside its carcass. Take the neck and unrecognizable organs that have been affectionately named “giblets”, and instead of turning your nose up at them and throwing them away, use them to make delicious gravy. Feeling squeamish about using the organs? Just buy a few extra turkey legs, thighs or wings and use those instead.
A few notes about making gravy generally. Use flour. Do not try to thicken an au jus with cornstarch and call it gravy. It might be tasty, but its not gravy. Gravy is really a basic roux. You need to melt a fat, add the flour and stir to combine. It will be thick at this point; that is ok. Cook the fat/flour mixture for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, to loose that ‘raw flour’ taste. Then slowly add your liquid, whisking constantly to ensure that there are no lumps. As long as you add the liquid slowly and stir you will not end up with lumps.
Make-Ahead Gravy
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
Makes about 4 cups
Reserved giblets and neck from the turkey and/or a combination of giblets, 6 turkey thighs or 9 turkey wings
2 small onions, chopped course
2 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 celery rib, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
2 cups dry white wine
6 sprigs fresh thyme
Butter and/or chicken fat, if needed
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Drippings from turkey, if desired
Heat the oven to 450F. Place the turkey trimmings, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Roast, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 40-50 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven. If using the roasting pan, place it directly on the burner on the stove. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil being sure to scrape up any additional brown bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon. Transfer the contents to a large saucepan.
If using a baking sheet, tip the contents into a large saucepan, being sure to scrape up any drippings off of the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth.
Add the water, wine, and thyme and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain the stock into a large measuring cup or container. Cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the fat congeals on the surface, about 2 hours.
Skim the fat. In a medium saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the reserve turkey fat until bubbling. If you do not have enough reserve fat, feel free to substitute butter or chicken fat (schmaltz). Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until combined and honey-coloured, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the stock while continuing to whisk constantly, to ensure that lumps do not form. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
The gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the gravy and thaw overnight. When the turkey is resting, re-heat the gravy in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until hot. Add any reserve turkey drippings if desired.