By Casa de Suna
Published Nov 09
Want to save yourself from scrambling when it comes time to add a bit of flavor and moisture to your turkey?
Lucky for you, this gravy can easily be made ahead of time. Don’t worry–you’ll still use the turkey drippings, but you don’t need to stir them in until the very end.
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How to Make It
Difficulty: Easy
Overall Time: 1 hr 15 min
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min
Serves: Makes 4 cups
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup Cognac, brandy or dry white wine
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups Homemade Turkey Broth
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup dry white wine or water
- 2 roasted garlic bulbs from Dry-Brined Turkey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Drippings from Dry-Brined Turkey
INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onions and season with ½ tsp salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring often, until tender and golden, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add Cognac. Cook, stirring often, until cognac is absorbed, and onions are golden-brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over onions, then stir to coat. Cook, stirring often and scraping up any browned bits until flour is golden, about 3 minutes.
- Gradually add broth, about ½ cup at a time, stirring until smooth between each addition. Add thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until gravy thickens slightly and reduces by a third, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, squeeze roasted garlic cloves onto a plate. Discard peels. Mash garlic with a fork until smooth. Stir mashed garlic and Dijon into gravy. Cover and keep warm until drippings from turkey are ready.
- Set a fine sieve over a heat-proof measuring jug. Strain pan drippings into jug. Discard veggies. Add ½ cup wine or water to baking sheet, then scrape up any browned bits. Strain wine-mixture into same jug. Let it stand until the fat rises to the top, about 5 minutes. Transfer fat to a container for another use. You should have about 2 cups liquid.
- Add dripping-mixture to gravy. Return to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if desired. Return to a simmer just before serving.
- Strain into a warm gravy boat to serve.
How to Store It
Gravy base (up to step 4) can be made, cooled and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead. Return to a simmer before continuing with step 5. To make even further ahead, skip the homemade turkey broth and use unsalted chicken broth. Refrigerate up to 5 days ahead or freeze with 1-inch headspace up to 1 month.
How to enjoy it
Warm your gravy boat to keep gravy hot at the table as long as possible. Fill clean gravy boat with boiling water a few minutes before serving. Pour out water and pat dry just before filling with gravy.
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