Turkey gravy

What it is¶

Turkey gravy is a brown poultry gravy made at scale. What distinguishes it is not technique but logistics: it is needed in large quantity, at the precise moment the kitchen is at its busiest, for a bird that must rest for 30–45 minutes and whose tin is enormous. The traditional solution is to make a deeply flavoured base days ahead from the giblets, neck and wing tips, then finish it with the roasting juices on the day.

Where the giblets go into the gravy whole, finely chopped and stirred through, it becomes giblet gravy — a distinct dish with its own following.

History¶

The roast turkey arrived in Britain in the sixteenth century and gradually displaced goose and beef at Christmas; American Thanksgiving fixed it in a second national tradition. Both inherited the same habit of making a stock from the bits that come inside the bird.

American turkey gravy often takes a slightly different path — a lighter roux, sometimes a stock enriched with the cooking liquid from the aromatics, and a finish with chopped giblets or hard-boiled egg in some southern households. The British version is typically darker, wine-inflected and made in the tin.

Typical ingredients¶

Flavour profile¶

Deeper and more savoury than chicken gravy, with a distinctly roasted quality and often a faint sweetness from redcurrant or cranberry. It needs to stand up to stuffing, bacon and sprouts without overwhelming the turkey itself.

What to serve it with¶

The Christmas or Thanksgiving plate in its entirety. Make far more than you think you need — leftovers are the making of a turkey sandwich, a turkey pie and Boxing Day bubble and squeak. See gravy for christmas dinner for the full timing plan.

The traditional recipe¶

Serves 8–10 · 2½ hours for the base, 15 minutes on the day

You need

• Turkey giblets, neck and wing tips
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 carrot, 1 celery stick
• 2 bay leaves, a few peppercorns
• 1.5 litres water
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 200 ml white wine or Madeira
• The roasting tin and its juices
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Up to three days ahead: brown the giblets, neck and wing tips in a large pan with a little oil until properly coloured.
2. Add the vegetables, herbs and water. Simmer gently, uncovered, for two hours, skimming now and then. Strain and chill — this is your base.
3. On the day, lift the cooked turkey out to rest. Spoon off the fat, leaving about 3 tbsp and all the dark juices.
4. Set the tin across two hob rings on a low heat, stir in the flour and cook for two minutes.
5. Deglaze with the wine, scraping everything up, then whisk in the warmed giblet stock a ladleful at a time.
6. Simmer 10 minutes, add the resting juices, taste, season, and strain into two warmed jugs.

The quick version¶

Serves 8 · 10 minutes

You need

• 50 g butter
• 50 g plain flour
• 1 litre hot turkey or chicken stock
• 2 tsp redcurrant jelly
• Splash of Madeira or sherry

Method

1. Make a roux with the butter and flour; cook for three minutes to a light hazelnut colour.
2. Whisk in the hot stock gradually, then simmer for eight minutes.
3. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and Madeira, and season well.

Vegetarian and vegan versions¶

For a vegetarian Christmas, build the same depth from roasted mushrooms, onions and carrots with a splash of soy and a strip of kombu, then finish with redcurrant jelly and a little port. It belongs with a nut roast just as much as with turkey — see vegetarian gravy.

Common mistakes¶

Leaving it all to the last twenty minutes — the one guaranteed way to ruin Christmas lunch. Make the base days ahead.

Making too little — 150 ml a head is the minimum, and Boxing Day will thank you.

Forgetting it must stay hot for an hour — keep it in a flask or a bain-marie; see keeping gravy warm.

Salting before reducing — turkey stock concentrates sharply. Season at the very end.

See also¶

• giblet gravy
• gravy for christmas dinner
• chicken gravy
• giblets
• keeping gravy warm