Turkey Neck Gravy

Turkey necks are cheap, full of collagen and thrown away by most people, which is a shame because they make a better gravy than the bird itself. Roasting them first is what separates this from a pale, thin stock. You end up with something dark and slightly sticky that clings to a plate, and you can make the whole thing days before the turkey goes anywhere near the oven.

Ingredients

Makes about 1.1 litres, enough for ten servings

• 1kg (2¼lb) turkey necks ask a butcher, they are usually very cheap or free
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 onions quartered, skins left on
• 2 carrots cut into chunks
• 2 sticks celery cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 litres (3½ pints) cold water
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 black peppercorns
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 50g (2oz) plain flour
• 50g (2oz) turkey fat skimmed from the stock, or use butter instead, which means it is no longer dairy free
• salt and black pepper to taste

Kit

• Roasting tin
• Large saucepan
• Sieve
• Balloon whisk

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C (fan 200C, gas 7). Toss the turkey necks with the oil in a roasting tin, spread them in a single layer, and roast for forty minutes until they are properly dark brown. Add the onions, carrots and celery for the last fifteen minutes.

2. Stir the tomato purée through the hot tin and put it back in the oven for five minutes. Roasting the purée takes the raw edge off it and deepens the colour of the finished stock.

3. Tip the lot into a large saucepan. Put the roasting tin over a hob ring, pour in 300ml of the water and scrape every brown patch off the base with a wooden spoon, then pour that into the pan too. This is the most valuable liquid in the recipe.

4. Add the remaining water, the bay, peppercorns and thyme. Bring slowly to the boil, skim off the scum, then drop to the barest simmer where a bubble breaks every couple of seconds.

5. Leave it uncovered for two and a half hours. It should reduce by about a third and go from watery to something that feels slightly sticky between finger and thumb. Do not let it boil hard or it will turn cloudy.

6. Strain through a sieve into a jug and discard the solids, though it is worth picking the meat off the necks first for a soup. Let it stand for ten minutes, then skim the fat off the top and keep 50g of it.

7. Melt the reserved turkey fat, or butter, in a clean saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook for three minutes until it is the colour of a digestive biscuit, then add the hot stock a ladle at a time, whisking each one smooth.

8. Simmer for ten minutes, whisking now and then, until it coats a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Because the stock is concentrated it may need very little salt, so taste before you reach for the pot.

Tips worth knowing

• The forty minutes of roasting is not optional. An unroasted neck gives you a pale, slightly gluey stock that tastes of boiled poultry rather than roast turkey.
• Turkey necks are full of collagen, so the stock sets to a firm wobble in the fridge. That is a sign you have done it right, and it is what makes the gravy feel rich without cream.
• Make the stock up to three days ahead or freeze it for three months. On the day you only need ten minutes to turn it into gravy, which is worth a great deal in a busy kitchen.
• Never boil the pot hard. A hard boil emulsifies the fat into the liquid and you end up with cloudy, greasy stock that no amount of skimming will fix.

Keeping and reheating

The stock keeps four days in the fridge or three months frozen. Finished gravy keeps four days and freezes for three months. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water, whisking, and it comes back exactly as it was.

Questions people ask