It’s All Gravy!

Making gravy for your turkey dinner is simple and a thousand times better than what you can buy in a jar. Using the neck, a part that most people discard – adds flavor to the stock, along with vegetables that you probably already have on hand, such as carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. This really isn’t a set recipe, it’s more of a guideline of what to do with what you have!

• 1 to 2 quarts chicken or turkey stock
• 1 medium yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves
• turkey neck
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 5 strips bacon, cooked, leftover from covering turkey breast
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 to 4 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper

1. When prepping the turkey, pour stock in the bottom of the pan, add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and turkey neck to the pan. Place turkey on rack, or directly on top of vegetables.
2. When turkey is cooked, transfer to platter to let rest. Pour pan drippings into a saucepan, add tomatoes, rosemary, and bacon, and let come to a simmer over medium high heat to reduce for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove neck.
3. Transfer stock and vegetables to a sieve over a medium bowl, pressing the vegetables with a wooden spoon to extract the flavor. Put the stock back into the saucepan, over medium heat. Slowly whisk flour in a tablespoon at a time, then whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper.