Roast Turkey Gravy

Turkey is lean and mild, which means the gravy has to do most of the work. The answer is not more flour, it is more concentrated stock, and that means using the neck and giblets that come in the bag rather than binning them. Make the stock while the bird roasts and the gravy takes fifteen minutes.

Ingredients

Makes about 1 litre, enough for eight plates with seconds

• 1 set turkey neck and giblets leave out the liver, it turns the stock bitter
• 1 onion, quartered, skin on
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
• 1.2 litres (2 pints) water
• 4 tbsp fat and juices from the turkey tin
• 3 tbsp (45g) plain flour
• 2 tsp soy sauce for colour and savour
• salt and black pepper

Kit

• Roasting tin
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Fine sieve
• Large jug

Method

1. Put the neck, giblets, onion, carrot and celery in a pan with the water. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam, then leave it at a bare simmer for two to three hours while the turkey roasts. Strain and keep it hot. You want about 900ml.

2. When the turkey comes out, move it to a board and cover it with foil and a clean tea towel. A big bird rests happily for forty five minutes and will still be hot, which gives you plenty of room to make gravy without panicking.

3. Tip the tin and skim the fat, keeping four tablespoons of it with all the dark juices. Turkey tins often hold a lot of watery liquor as well, and that goes in, it is full of flavour.

4. Put the tin over two rings on a medium heat and let the juices bubble until they have reduced and gone syrupy and the base starts to brown again. This step is what saves a turkey gravy from tasting like pale soup.

5. Whisk in the flour and cook for two to three minutes until it is a light golden brown and smells nutty, scraping every corner of the tin.

6. Add the hot giblet stock a ladle at a time, whisking each in fully. Once it is all in and smooth, bring it to a simmer and cook for ten to twelve minutes.

7. Add the soy sauce, which does more for colour than gravy browning and adds savour at the same time. Simmer another two minutes and check the consistency, remembering it will thicken slightly in a warm jug.

8. Strain through a fine sieve into a warmed jug or a flask, stir in any juices from the resting board, then season. Taste last, because stuffing, bacon and brining all push the salt up.

Tips worth knowing

• Make the giblet stock the day before if the oven is going to be a battlefield. It keeps three days in the fridge and only improves.
• A wide flask keeps gravy properly hot for two hours and frees up the hob completely, which is worth more than it sounds on a busy day.
• Never let the liver into the stock. It clouds it and gives a metallic bitterness you cannot season out.
• If the bird has been brined, use unsalted or half strength stock or the finished gravy will be too salty to rescue.

Keeping and reheating

Keeps four days in the fridge and freezes well for three months in portions. Reheat over a low heat with a splash of stock, whisking hard, as turkey gravy sets very solid when cold.

Questions people ask