The single most concentrated source of flavor for your Thanksgiving dinner isn’t in your fridge or your pantry. It’s in the crispy, oozy, rich browned bits sticking to the bottom of your pan. Unlocking the potential of all those bits (a.k.a. sucs, in French culinary terms) is the key to creating a deeply flavorful gravy in the time it takes the turkey (or chickens, for that matter) to rest before carving. Yup, that means no need to do anything in advance.
If those those bits don’t want to come off the pan easily, simply pour in enough water to lightly coat the bottom (about a cup’s worth), and return it to the oven for 5 minutes to soften things up. This base you’ve now created—a deglazing liquid plus sucs—is known as fond (again, French). You can then use that liquid, in addition to store-bought broth, to keep building the gravy, with no need to strain it until the very end before serving.
This recipe is ideal when used with Maple-Butter-Glazed Turkey since the maple syrup–laced lacquer that burnishes the roast also helps to create lots of caramelized, crispy browned bits. Just be sure to maintain a small amount of water in the bottom of the baking sheet as the turkey cooks, especially in the beginning, so the pan drippings don’t burn.
What you’ll need
Large Saucepan
$75 At Amazon
Whisk
$14 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$16 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Melt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 6 Tbsp. (47 g) all-purpose flour and cook, whisking often, until mixture is a shade darker and flour smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Transfer roux to a small heatproof bowl; don’t wipe out pan.
Step 2
Pour 1 cup dry white wine into same pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk to incorporate any stray roux left behind and simmer until wine is reduced by three quarters, about 3 minutes.
Step 3
Add 1 roasting pan of browned bits and liquid left over from roasting a turkey, deglazed with 1 cup water, scraped to loosen; the gravy will be strained later) and 4 cups turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth. Whisk in roux, taking care to incorporate completely into liquid. Bring to a boil, whisking often, then reduce heat and simmer actively until gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, 30–45 minutes.
Step 4
Stir 1 tsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar into gravy if using (if the browned bits in your roasting pan get fairly dark, the vinegar will help brighten and balance those deep savory flavors). Strain gravy through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan; taste and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired. Keep warm until ready to serve.
