Making a silky, lump-less gravy is not at all hard! All you have to do is follow some basic steps and your final result will be completely successful. Have you ever been passed a gravy boat full of substance that resembles glue? How about glue full of lumps? I have and it was not a pretty site! Well glue-like gravy no more! Let us make a perfect sauce for our mashed potatoes!
The first thing you need to do is make a stock from the giblets excepting the liver. You can use the tail if you want, as well. Rinse off the giblets and place them into a small heavy pot. Add 1 carrot, halved; 2 smashed garlic cloves; 1/4 of a yellow onion, sliced and 1 celery stalk (preferably with leaves), halved. Cover everything with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat. Let your stock simmer for at least 90 minutes, until you have a nicely concentrated stock. Do not season the stock with salt and pepper as you will add the flavor with the brown bits from your roasting pan. Once the stock is ready, pass it through a strainer making sure to squeeze all cooked veggies. Set the stock aside.
When your turkey is ready remove it from the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan on the stove and turn the burners on medium heat. Using a spatula, scrape all of the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan and let the mixture simmer until it reduces a bit. Pour the fat into a fat separator. Reserve all of the brown bits.
Place 1/4 cup of the separated fat into a small heavy pot. Vigorously whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour. Whisk for a couple of minutes, making sure to dissolve any lumps, in order to cook the flour. Slowly whisk in the giblet stock, whisking constantly getting rid of all the lumps that might form. Add as much stock as you want - until you get the thickness you desire. Whisk constantly until your gravy comes to a soft boil. Add all of the brown bits whisking well. Cook for an extra 3 to 4 minutes.
Pass the gravy through a very fine strainer, discarding any remaining bits. Warm through and serve with your favorite turkey and mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Check out this step-by-step video on how to successfully make a flawless brown gravy!
