Homemade Turkey Gravy
Thanksgiving turkey and all the trimmings just wouldn’t be the same without a Homemade Turkey Gravy to drizzle over it all. It’s that delicious flavor and texture that brings all the different dishes on your plate together. Call it the icing on the proverbial Thanksgiving cake, if you will–it’s just one of those things that I can’t get enough of!
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
- 4 cups strained, defatted pan drippings and stock (See Instructions.)
- 1-2 sprigs sage, marjoram, thyme or rosemary (optional)
- To taste salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Use a strainer and fat separator to defat any available pan drippings from roasting either a turkey or chicken. Add enough homemade or purchased stock or broth to make up a total of 4 cups.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then whisk in the flour and continue stirring until a thick paste is formed. Cook until lightly-browned and until the floury taste and smell has cooked off, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the wine to the saucepan and whisk until the roux is fully incorporated into the liquid.
- Then, add the drippings and stock or broth and continue to stir until all ingredients are well-combined. Add the herb sprigs, if using.
- Increase heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, or until the sauce has thickened to your desired level. A good rule-of-thumb is that the gravy should coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove and discard the herbs. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Remove from heat, transfer to a gravy boat and serve. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- An alternative to using a fat separator is to refrigerate the pan drippings until the fat rises to the top and solidifies. Then, you can easily remove the fat with a spoon.
- Use no- or low-sodium turkey or chicken broth, if purchased.
- If you have no pan drippings and are making this recipe with 100% broth or stock do the following: Sauté 1 finely chopped shallot, 2 Tbsp garlic and 2 Tbsp chopped mixed herbs (any combination of sage, marjoram, thyme and/or rosemary) in the indicated amount of butter until soft and all liquid has evaporated, about 4 to 6 minutes. Then, sprinkle the indicated amount of flour over the sautéed veggies and stir. Then, proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- This recipe makes about 4 cups gravy.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!