I’ve been cooking my family’s Thanksgiving feasts for 30-odd years. There’s one bit of advice I wish I could give to my 13-year-old self when I was just starting out: focus on the gravy.
Thanksgiving in our family (or any meal, really) is going to be chaotic. I’ll be juggling the massive bird, crafting a vegetarian entrée for my picky husband, keeping multiple side dishes warm, and dealing with my chatty relatives who insist upon hovering in the kitchen. It’s a lot to oversee and sometimes a few things get overlooked, but as long as I nail the gravy, I know everything will be just fine.
That’s because great gravy can hide a myriad of cooking sins. Absolutely no one complains of lumps in my mashed potatoes, dry turkey, or lukewarm stuffing when there’s a boat full of my piping-hot turkey gravy being passed around.
My gravy adds moisture, an umami bomb of flavor, and warmth to every food it decorates. It’s also an easy do-ahead recipe that I can make days (or even months) before the big day.
Start With a Rich Turkey Broth
The secret to great gravy is not in the pan drippings. In fact, you don’t need to wrangle with the greasy roasting pan at all with my recipe. I base my gravy on ultra-rich turkey broth that I make a few weeks ahead of time.
For the best color and flavor, I roast turkey drumsticks or wings with aromatic vegetables and then simmer them in homemade chicken stock (or boxed chicken broth) to double down on the poultry flavor. The ratio of liquid to meat is quite low, just 6 1/2 cups of liquid to 3 pounds of turkey drumsticks.
The resulting broth is so rich it turns into meat jelly once chilled. All that collagen is a surefire sign that the ensuing gravy will be awesome. The broth can be frozen for up to 3 months, so the next steps are at your leisure.
Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
Make It Ahead
A few days before Thanksgiving, I make the gravy. It’s one of my favorite moments of the holidays, so I take my time and fuss, taste, season, and tinker with the gravy without any other distractions until it’s just right.
I make a simple roux of butter and flour in my favorite saucepan with gently sloping sides called a saucier (it’s easier to get the whisk into the edges and keep everything smooth) and gradually whisk in the turkey broth.
After the gravy has simmered for about 20 minutes and has become luxuriously velvety and thick, I add Maggi Seasoning to taste. It’s a trick my mom has been using for her gravy for decades (well before I took the helm in the kitchen) to give turkey gravy a deeper brown color and umami-rich, lovage-infused flavor that screams Thanksgiving. Soy sauce will do in a pinch.
To streamline the big day even further, I store the finished gravy in my large, microwave-safe gravy boat so that all I have to do is pop it in the microwave to reheat right before we eat. As long as the gravy is good and hot, I can relax knowing the meal will be delicious.
Thanksgiving Essentials
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