Rich Turkey Gravy

An excellent gravy recipe is essential to any cook’s holiday tool kit. A good gravy can tie the meal together, dressing the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, and the turkey itself. The secret to incredible homemade gravy is to get as much flavor out of the bird as possible. Make a homemade stock with the neck and wings, and after the bird has cooked, heat this stock right in the roasting pan to collect the drippings. (If you can’t make your own stock, use this method with store-bought chicken broth—cooking it in the drippings will ensure it still has lots of good flavor.) For an exceptionally smooth and creamy gravy, pour the deglazed pan juices through a fine-mesh strainer into your liquid measuring cup.

A little patience is an essential ingredient for this easy gravy recipe. If you try to speed up the cooking time by adding the stock too quickly, the gravy can taste wan and floury. Instead, take a few minutes to develop the roux (a mix of fat and all-purpose flour; or see below for a gluten-free alternative), cooking it until it’s toasty and brown. Then whisk constantly as you slowly pour in the stock so that it combines with the thickener without turning lumpy. After that, all you have to do is boil the mixture to your desired consistency. Hold any seasonings until the gravy is just about ready, then taste. It’ll likely have enough salt from the turkey drippings, but adjust with more if needed and add a good dose of freshly ground black pepper too. In the end, you’ll have a rich, brown gravy that doesn’t need any other flavorings to sing.