Gravy
A rich and silky-smooth turkey gravy made from homemade turkey stock, roasted turkey wings, aromatic vegetables, and herbs, thickened with a golden brown roux.
Ingredients
- •3½ pounds turkey wings
- •1 whole turkey neck
- •1 whole large onion
- •1 whole large carrot
- •1 stalk celery
- •4 sprigs parsley
- •4 sprigs thyme
- •12 whole peppercorns
- •1 whole bay leaf
- •⅓ cup unsalted butter
- •⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- •6 cups Make-Ahead Turkey Stock
- •1½ cups roast turkey drippings
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Great gravy begins with this Make-Ahead Turkey Stock. If you want to make one from scratch, do it now (or anytime, for that matter, since turkey wings are available year-round). In a pinch, store-bought stock will work.
5 min
- 2.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange 3 1/2 pounds turkey wings and 1 turkey neck (optional) on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning turkey halfway through, until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
45 min
- 3.
Transfer wings and neck to a stockpot. Pour off fat from baking sheet; discard. Pour 2 cups water onto baking sheet. Scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Pour liquid from sheet into pot with turkey. Add 1 chopped large onion, 1 peeled and chopped large carrot, 1 chopped celery stalk, 4 sprigs parsley, 4 sprigs thyme, 12 whole peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, and 10 cups water. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low and simmer gently until stock is reduced by at least one-third, about 4 hours.
240 min
- 4.
Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. If you have more than 6 cups stock, simmer uncovered over medium heat until reduced to 6 cups. Let cool. Pour stock into an airtight container; cover and chill. DO AHEAD: Stock can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Stock can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
30 min
- 5.
Roux is simply butter or oil cooked with flour. It's used for thickening sauces, and it's what makes this gravy silky-smooth.
1 min
- 6.
Melt 1/3 cup unsalted butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Whisk in 1/3 cup all-purpose flour. Reduce heat to low; whisk until roux is golden brown, about 2 minutes. DO AHEAD: Roux can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool, cover, and chill.
2 min
- 7.
Browned bits left in the bottom of the pan after roasting the turkey give body, richness, and roasty flavor to the gravy.
1 min
- 8.
Bring 6 cups Make-Ahead Turkey Stock to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1-2 cups skimmed and strained roast turkey drippings. (If you're short on drippings, skim fat from pan and add 1-2 cups water. Scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon; strain liquid into stock.) Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in roux. Reduce heat to low; simmer gently for 5 minutes for gravy to thicken and flavors to meld. You're done!
5 min