Homemade Turkey Gravy is the “Thanksgiving Sauce” that brings everything together on the plate. It’s notorious for helping to hide overcooked and dry turkey breast meat. But, made with quality ingredients can be intensely infused with the best savory Thanksgiving flavor—the turkey neck, defatted drippings, and pre-made turkey stock (made just like homemade chicken stock), and leftover potato water (left over from making mashed potatoes) is my favorite combination. I love making a large batch so we have plenty for leftovers. Plus, it can be frozen and enjoyed at another time. This is one of those recipes that I’ve been making for several years, but I’m normally a tad too busy cooking other things on Thanksgiving day to take the pictures I need to record it for posterity. This year I had so much help from my husband that my kitchen was cleaner when we were done cooking than when we started. I sent our happy dinner guests home with leftover stuffing, mashed potatoes, and a pint jar full of gravy.
How to make a Large Batch of Homemade Turkey Gravy
1 turkey neck
onion and celery scraps (left over from chopping the ingredients for the classic turkey stuffing)
2 quarts of any combination of turkey stock, low sodium chicken broth, potato water (left over from mashed potatoes)
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 scant teaspoon of poultry seasoning
1 cup potato water
9 slightly heaping tablespoons of cornstarch, arrowroot, or potato starch
defatted turkey pan juices
1. Add the turkey neck, onion, celery, and 2 quarts of liquid (combination of stock, broth, and potato water) in a 3 quart pot. This year I had enough turkey stock on hand to make it with 100% turkey stock. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for a few hours until the turkey is done.
2. Just before you take the main course turkey out of the roasting pan to rest remove the neck, onion and celery from the simmering stock and strain the liquid through cheese cloth into another pot.
3. Once the main course turkey is resting strain the turkey pan juices through the cheese cloth to mix with the turkey broth. Skim as much of the fat off the top as you can with a spoon and heat the liquid to a soft boil. Even with all the evaporation of that happens in step one you should still have about 2 quarts of liquid. If not, you can add enough potato water to make 2 quarts. I always keep a couple of quarts of potato water on hand to add to the gravy, turkey pan juices, or the stuffing.
4. Mix one slightly heaping tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot in 1 cup of potato water for every cup of liquid you have. Stir until completely incorporated.
5. Add salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to the hot gravy stock. I used about 2 tablespoons of salt, 2 teaspoons of pepper, and 1 scant teaspoon of poultry seasoning.
5. Add the thickener to the soft boiling gravy stock, stir until completely mixed, and lower the heat after the gravy starts to thicken. Adjust seasonings and thickener as needed.
Homemade Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 turkey neck
- onion and celery scraps (left over from chopping the ingredients for the classic turkey stuffing)
- 2 quarts of any combination of turkey stock, low sodium chicken broth, potato water (left over from mashed potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 scant teaspoon of poultry seasoning
- 1 cup potato water
- 9 slightly heaping tablespoons of cornstarch, arrowroot, or potato starch
- defatted turkey pan juices
Directions
- Step 1 Add the turkey neck, onion, celery, and 2 quarts of liquid (combination of stock, broth, and potato water) in a 3 quart pot. This year I had enough turkey stock on hand to make it with 100% turkey stock. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for a few hours until the turkey is done.
- Step 2 Just before you take the main course turkey out of the roasting pan to rest remove the neck, onion and celery from the simmering stock and strain the liquid through cheese cloth into another pot.
- Step 3 Once the main course turkey is resting strain the turkey pan juices through the cheese cloth to mix with the turkey broth. Skim as much of the fat off the top as you can with a spoon and heat the liquid to a soft boil. Even with all the evaporation of that happens in step one you should still have about 2 quarts of liquid. If not, you can add enough potato water to make 2 quarts. I always keep a couple of quarts of potato water on hand to add to the gravy, turkey pan juices, or the stuffing.
- Step 4 Mix one slightly heaping tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot in 1 cup of potato water for every cup of liquid you have. Stir until completely incorporated.
- Step 5 Add salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to the hot gravy stock. I used about 2 tablespoons of salt, 2 teaspoons of pepper, and 1 scant teaspoon of poultry seasoning.
- Step 6 Add the thickener to the soft boiling gravy stock, stir until completely mixed, and lower the heat after the gravy starts to thicken. Adjust seasonings and thickener as needed.
