Really Good Gravy

Making gravy from scratch isn't as hard as it may seem! Bonus: use our recipe for Really Good Stock (below) to take this to the next level.

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

4 cups of Really Good Stock or a good quality store-bought stock

Whole fresh herbs (thyme, sage, rosemary or marjoram)

Salt and pepper to taste

Pan drippings from roast turkey

Water

Bring Really Good Stock or store-bought stock to a simmer over medium heat.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Sprinkle flour over the butter and
whisk until smooth to make a roux. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, until the roux has begun to smell nutty and has turned a nice light brown.

Slowly pour in the warmed stock, whisking constantly to avoid lumpy
bits. Bring the gravy to a boil and then lower the heat to maintain a
simmer. Add in the herbs, salt, and pepper and continue to cook until
thick and slightly reduced. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Set aside
until turkey is done roasting.

Once you remove the turkey from the roasting pan, strain the drippings
into a large measuring cup. Skim off the fat and, if needed, add enough
water to make it 1 cup. Pour the strained drippings back into the gravy
pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and continue cooking until
gravy has thickened again.

REALLY GOOD STOCK
Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Roast your turkey wings and neck plus
two peeled onions, until just starting to brown, about 30 minutes. Add
two or three carrots and a few stalks of celery and continue to roast
until well browned and caramelized, about 20 more minutes. Put all the
ingredients in a pot with the giblets and add water to cover. Heat to just
simmering and cook for three hours. Then strain, return to the pot and
reduce to about four cups.

Yield: 8 servings