Supermarket turkeys invariably include a "gravy packet" these days. Now, if you are really looking to make your special holiday meal taste like something ladled up at a cafeteria, and you're pretty sure that maltodextrin and monosodium glutamate are essential nutrients, go ahead and use the packet. You won't hurt my feelings - unless you actually serve me the gravy packet gravy.
I believe that we should apply the rule that Michael Pollan advocated. If your grandma would look at the label and not recognize the ingredients, don't use it.
You can actually make gravy without a packet, the way grandma did, and have it turn out nicely. Let me tell you how -
How to make gravy for your Thanksgiving turkey without use of the gravy pouch
When you clean out your bird, set aside the neck and innards. The liver can be chopped finely and mixed with your stuffing if that pleases you (this is an integral part of Amish Potato Stuffing, and it does add a lot to the flavor.) Put the neck and remaining innards in a saucepan with a half an onion, water to cover, and salt and pepper to taste. Set this to simmer on the stove while the bird roasts.
When the turkey is done roasting, remove it from the roasting pan and set it on a plate to rest for 10 minutes while you do the gravy thing. Pour off the juices from the roasting pan and degrease them. Now take the gizzard stock which has been simmering on the stove and pour it in the roasting pan. Scrape the pan down with a spoon, spatula or similar. This is to loosen all of the brown stuff that has caramelized on the bottom of the pan and dissolve it in the stock. Turn to the assembled crowd, take a bow and announce that you are deglazing the pan. Pause for a moment to feel like Emeril Lagasse, and then return to the task at hand.
Now combine the deglazed pan juice with the defatted pan juice which you poured off previously. Do this in a measuring cup so you can see how much you have. For each cup of liquid, measure two tablespoons of butter, turkey fat or vegetable oil (your choice) and put it into a saucepan. Melt it, and add two tablespoons of white flour for each cup of liquid. If you had two cups of pan juices, you would use four tablespoons each of fat and flour-- got it?
OK, now keep the pan on medium heat, stirring the fat-flour mixture constantly. Do not let it burn, it should slowly go from off-white, to golden, to peanut-butter colored, to the color of milk chocolate over the next few minutes. If anyone asks, tell them you are making a New Orleans style burnt roux (pronounced “rue,” as in “you'll rue the day.”) Feel like Emeril again if you must, but don't stop stirring the roux. They call it "burnt roux" but if you actually do burn it, you ruined it and you will have to start over.
Once the roux is the color of milk chocolate, pour in all of the pan juices, stirring constantly. Bring it to a simmer, and the gravy should thicken nicely.
Two more things- if you add a tablespoon of bourbon or brandy for each cup of liquid, this helps give the gravy a richer flavor, but is not enough to make it taste like booze. Lastly, taste the gravy and add salt or pepper if you think it is needed. If you really want to take it over the top, a drop or two of black truffle oil would also be nice, but it isn't necessary.
I believe that we should apply the rule that Michael Pollan advocated. If your grandma would look at the label and not recognize the ingredients, don't use it.
You can actually make gravy without a packet, the way grandma did, and have it turn out nicely. Let me tell you how -
How to make gravy for your Thanksgiving turkey without use of the gravy pouch
When you clean out your bird, set aside the neck and innards. The liver can be chopped finely and mixed with your stuffing if that pleases you (this is an integral part of Amish Potato Stuffing, and it does add a lot to the flavor.) Put the neck and remaining innards in a saucepan with a half an onion, water to cover, and salt and pepper to taste. Set this to simmer on the stove while the bird roasts.
When the turkey is done roasting, remove it from the roasting pan and set it on a plate to rest for 10 minutes while you do the gravy thing. Pour off the juices from the roasting pan and degrease them. Now take the gizzard stock which has been simmering on the stove and pour it in the roasting pan. Scrape the pan down with a spoon, spatula or similar. This is to loosen all of the brown stuff that has caramelized on the bottom of the pan and dissolve it in the stock. Turn to the assembled crowd, take a bow and announce that you are deglazing the pan. Pause for a moment to feel like Emeril Lagasse, and then return to the task at hand.
Now combine the deglazed pan juice with the defatted pan juice which you poured off previously. Do this in a measuring cup so you can see how much you have. For each cup of liquid, measure two tablespoons of butter, turkey fat or vegetable oil (your choice) and put it into a saucepan. Melt it, and add two tablespoons of white flour for each cup of liquid. If you had two cups of pan juices, you would use four tablespoons each of fat and flour-- got it?
OK, now keep the pan on medium heat, stirring the fat-flour mixture constantly. Do not let it burn, it should slowly go from off-white, to golden, to peanut-butter colored, to the color of milk chocolate over the next few minutes. If anyone asks, tell them you are making a New Orleans style burnt roux (pronounced “rue,” as in “you'll rue the day.”) Feel like Emeril again if you must, but don't stop stirring the roux. They call it "burnt roux" but if you actually do burn it, you ruined it and you will have to start over.
Once the roux is the color of milk chocolate, pour in all of the pan juices, stirring constantly. Bring it to a simmer, and the gravy should thicken nicely.
Two more things- if you add a tablespoon of bourbon or brandy for each cup of liquid, this helps give the gravy a richer flavor, but is not enough to make it taste like booze. Lastly, taste the gravy and add salt or pepper if you think it is needed. If you really want to take it over the top, a drop or two of black truffle oil would also be nice, but it isn't necessary.
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