All those drippin’s in the bottom of your roasting pan are there for a reason. Homemade gravy is easy and so much better for you than those gravy packets or the stuff that comes in a jar. I made gravy for my family for the first time at my Aunt’s house one year to Pop’s skeptical raised and furrowed eyebrows. He is after all, the ultimate gravy critic. He is vehemently opposed to anything creamy or buttery and as most Thanksgiving dishes are full of it, he was dubious. I’m pretty sure I recall an, “Mmm… Chompa?… mmmm.” after he tasted it on a piece of french bread, hence the name ‘Mmm Mmm Gravy’. I was quite proud of myself. (In case you’re wondering, ‘Chompa’ is a nickname.) This recipe works for beef roasts too. You will want to have a fat separator, it looks like a measuring cup but the spout comes out from the bottom and it has a strainer for the top.
Ingredients:
All that stuff left over in the bottom of your roasting pan after you roast the turkey
2 cups chicken stock
1/2-1 cup red wine
1/3-1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
After you transfer the turkey to a serving plate, place the roasting pan over medium heat and stir the turkey bits and juices until it begins to bubble. Be sure to scrape all of the goodies from the bottom of the pan as you stir (that’s where the real flavor comes from) Add the wine and chicken stock and allow to simmer for a 4-5 minutes. Strain into your fat separator, which you might have to do in sections. Pour about 2/3 cup of the fat into a separate saucepan and discard the rest of the fat. Add the flour to the fat over medium-high heat and whisk constantly until it begins to thicken, just a few minutes. Add the turkey juices to the saucepan and continue to whisk until it reaches the desired consistency. It will thicken a bit as it cools. Salt and pepper to taste. If you’re a giblets kind of person, add them, chopped, to the roasting pan in the first step and do not strain them out.
Memoirs of My Family Kitchen 