I love gravy. A LOT. I love gravy on turkey, on mashed potatoes, on French fries. You name it. But, just like the turkey, I’ve always been scared to make gravy. Probably because I never have the pan drippings to make it properly. However, after I made my first turkey, and finally had the pan drippings to make gravy, I realized it’s not so scary. And you also don’t have to wait until Christmas or your next Thanksgiving turkey to make gravy either. You could make gravy on a random Thursday night with any kind of pan drippings you want! If you don’t have time to make a roast, you don’t even really need the pan drippings. Of course, they make everything better and more authentic, but in a pinch you can substitute bouillon cubes or more beef or chicken stock.
Healthy Recipe Ecstasy? I am pretty happy to say that my first attempt at cooking gravy turned out delicious!!! Because it was my first time, I didn’t want to mess around with trying to make it gluten-free or dairy-free. I’ll save that for another day. BUT you can use a gluten-free flour in the gravy instead of all-purpose if you have gluten sensitivities. Make this tonight for dinner or, if you’re a patient person (I am not), wait a few weeks and make it for your big Christmas celebration.
- 1 cup pan drippings from a roast turkey or chicken (you can also use beef roast drippings, bouillon cubes, or beef/chicken stock)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
- 1 cup sherry or sherry cooking wine
- 1 cup chicken stock (use beef stock if you’re using a beef roast)
- 1 bundle fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Heat the pan drippings in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to the pan drippings until the mixture resembles sand. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Deglaze with the sherry, scrapping the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and toss in the thyme and rosemary sprigs.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for a minimum of five minutes. The longer you cook the richer the flavors become.
- Pull out the sprigs of herbs and whisk in two tablespoons of butter. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary, and serve hot.
[…] you want to use the chicken juices and drippings to make a delicious gravy, check out my Sherry-Spiked Gravy for directions. Now you can enjoy roast chicken all week […]