Valerie’s take on turkey includes reusing turkey bits, herbs, a little lemon juice and a smidge of butter to round out the flavours.
ingredients
directions
Cook's Note: If not making Deep-Fried Turkey, substitute 3 tablespoons neutral oil for the hot oil and heat in the saute pan for about 1 minute before adding the flour.
In a saucepan, add the turkey stock, turkey neck, gizzards, thyme, bay leaf and shallot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out the solids. If a chunky gravy is desired, chop the gizzards and return them to the simmered stock in the saucepan. Keep warm.
In a straight-sided saute pan, add the hot oil and flour and cook over medium-high to high heat until the mixture is light brown in color (for a dark gravy, cook the flour to a deeper brown color). Add 2 cups of the warm stock, whisking constantly, and cook until the gravy thickens and bubbles. Add more warm stock if a thinner consistency is desired. Reduce the heat to low and add salt and pepper to taste (this will depend on how salty the stock is). Add a squeeze of lemon juice and taste again for seasoning. Keep warm until ready to serve, adding more warm stock as needed.
Just before serving, remove from the heat and swirl in the butter until melted. Pour into a gravy boat and serve.