Gravy is one of my favorite parts of our Thanksgiving meal. I use it on everything from turkey to stuffing, mashed potatoes to dipping my dinner roll in it. Honestly, my absolute favorite thing about Thanksgiving is using the leftovers to make open faced turkey sandwiches, where gravy is the vital component.
So what makes this gravy so special? The flavor is out of this world! Using drippings from your roasted turkey (check out our Herb Roasted Turkey recipe that makes amazingly flavorful drippings) and stock that was flavored with vegetables, herbs, and a turkey neck all day long! This creates a rich and delicious gravy for all your Thanksgiving favorites!
Ingredients
- 1 turkey neck
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 sprig fresh thyme
- 3 large fresh sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 oz yellow onion about ½ medium size onion, coursely chopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 cup turkey drippings greased skimmed
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 5 tbsp flour
- 4 dashes Tabasco
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, add turkey neck, chicken broth, rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaf, garlic, and yellow onion. Let simmer on medium low heat for 1½ hours. Remove turkey neck and let cool enough to handle. Strain the rest of the liquid into a container, discarding the herbs, garlic, and onion.
- Remove meat from turkey neck, shred, and add to the broth. Add drippings from turkey (I like to put the drippings in a glass measuring cup to let settle, then I skim the grease that rises to the surface before using).
- In a large sauce pan (enough to hold all broth and dripping mixture), melt butter on medium heat. Add flour and whisk for about 5 minutes, just enough for the flour to start to turn a light tan (this will prevent your gravy from having a raw flour taste). Slowly add broth mixture, one ladle at a time, constantly whisking. Once all liquid has been added let simmer on medium low heat until desired thickness is achieved, about 4-5 minutes. Add black pepper and Tabasco! Enjoy!