Why-Is-It-So-Good Gravy

Ingredients

• •3 lb turkey and/or chicken wings
• •4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• •2 heads garlic
• •2 large shallots
• •1 piece ginger
• •4 oz mushrooms
• •2 tsp black peppercorns
• •6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• •4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• •½ cup amontillado sherry
• •6 cups turkey stock
• •2 tsp sherry vinegar
• •1 tsp MSG
• •to taste Kosher salt
• •to taste black pepper

Cooking Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss wings in a large cast-iron skillet with 2 Tbsp. oil until coated. Roast, tossing halfway through, until golden brown and starting to crisp, 25-35 minutes.

   30 min

2. 2.

   Remove wings from oven and add garlic, shallots, ginger, mushrooms, peppercorns, and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to pan; toss to coat. Return to oven and roast, tossing halfway through, until wings are deeply browned and crisp and vegetables are browned, 30-40 minutes more.

   35 min

3. 3.

   Meanwhile, mash together flour and butter in a small bowl with your fingers or a fork until homogenous. Set beurre manié aside.

   5 min

4. 4.

   Remove skillet from oven and set on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add sherry and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until sherry is almost completely reduced, about 2 minutes.

   2 min

5. 5.

   Scrape wings and aromatics into a medium pot and add parsley and stock. Bring to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently, skimming fat from surface occasionally and turning wings so both sides get a chance to be submerged, until liquid is flavorful, mahogany in color, and reduced by about one-third, 30-40 minutes.

   35 min

6. 6.

   Fish out wings; discard. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring glass; discard solids. Rinse out pot and pour turkey mixture back in. Bring to a simmer over medium. Whisking constantly, add reserved beurre manié and whisk until completely incorporated. Simmer, whisking often and skimming any foam from surface, until gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vinegar and MSG. Taste gravy and season with salt and pepper if desired.

   8 min

7. 7.

   Do Ahead: Gravy (without vinegar and MSG) can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill. Reheat over medium until simmering, then add vinegar and MSG.