Layering flavours is the key to making awesome turkey gravy. Quality, concentrated turkey stock is the key to ensuring stellar results every time.
There are only four ingredients in a great holiday turkey gravy. Fat, flour, turkey drippings and stock are the variables you have to play with and you can’t do anything about the flour other than make sure you don’t make lumps. Fat is easy – use some of the turkey fat in the pan. Drippings – don’t stuff the bird if you can avoid it and you will get a nice fond and good drippings in your pan.
Stock – that’s the one thing you really control. Use a concentrated turkey stock to really boost the flavour of your gravy. There’s no need to use a different pot to make your gravy. Make it in your roasting pan while your turkey rests.
best holiday turkey gravy
Ingredients
For a 12-14 lb turkey
- Drippings from turkey - those wonderful brown bits and liquid in your roasting pan
- 3 Tbsp turkey fat separated from the drippings in the roasting pan
- 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp flour depending on how thick you like it
- 3 cups concentrated turkey stock - recipe below
Instructions
- Tilt your roasting pan and remove all but 3 Tbsp fat. Reserve the rest of the fat to make your dressing. Heat the roasting pan over medium heat and add flour. Stir the flour into the fat and cook, stirring continuously, for about 90 seconds. You are making a blond roux here.
- Add about 1/2 cup of hot stock and stir, really working to make sure the stock is incorporated into the roux. This will help prevent lumps. When incorporated, add a second 1/2 cup and repeat. Add a full cup and repeat. Add the last cup and simmer briefly. Strain your gravy into the saucepan and hold, over low heat until it’s time to serve.
- If you are plating in the kitchen, transfer the stock into a gravy boat right before you plate. It makes pouring gravy onto the plate a snap.
Notes
best holiday turkey gravy
Ingredients
For a 12-14 lb turkey
- Drippings from turkey - those wonderful brown bits and liquid in your roasting pan
- 3 Tbsp turkey fat separated from the drippings in the roasting pan
- 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp flour depending on how thick you like it
- 3 cups concentrated turkey stock - recipe below
Instructions
- Tilt your roasting pan and remove all but 3 Tbsp fat. Reserve the rest of the fat to make your dressing. Heat the roasting pan over medium heat and add flour. Stir the flour into the fat and cook, stirring continuously, for about 90 seconds. You are making a blond roux here.
- Add about 1/2 cup of hot stock and stir, really working to make sure the stock is incorporated into the roux. This will help prevent lumps. When incorporated, add a second 1/2 cup and repeat. Add a full cup and repeat. Add the last cup and simmer briefly. Strain your gravy into the saucepan and hold, over low heat until it’s time to serve.
- If you are plating in the kitchen, transfer the stock into a gravy boat right before you plate. It makes pouring gravy onto the plate a snap.
Notes
Homemade turkey dressing is the ultimate side to any holiday turkey dinner. This one holds it’s own. Really, really good.
It’s based on the famous bread salad served with the Zuni Cafe roast chicken. That is one seriously fantastic dish. This version is just as good. But adding leek, sage and savory puts it squarely in holiday turkey territory.
Turkey stuffing or turkey dressing. That is always a tough decision. Which way to go? What to do?
I love turkey stuffing. It’s amazing. How the drippings combine with the stuffing in the cavity while the bird roasts. Fantastic.
But it comes with a big price. It makes roasting a turkey even harder. And it soaks up the delicious drippings that I want for gravy. I love my drippings for gravy. All that wonderful fond. That’s the stuff that makes great gravy.
Dressing doesn’t have those problems but it’s usually not anywhere near as good. And that’s a problem in itself. Maximum stuffing flavour or bland, mediocre bread on the side.
This Zuni turkey dressing takes care of that. It’s a whole new take on how turkey dressing is made. And it tastes every big as good as traditional turkey stuffing. Better even.
There’s crispy golden bits. There’s moist turkey flavoured bits. It’s so good it doesn’t need gravy on it.
If you’ve tried Zuni Cafe roast chicken with bread salad then you know how good this homemade turkey dressing is going to be.
If you haven’t then you are missing out. Google it. Make it tonight. Then you’ll understand why this dressing is going to be the best you ever taste.
Homemade turkey dressing packs in the flavour without adding the price. It’s rich. It’s loaded with turkey goodness. Take a leap of faith. Try it. It won’t disappoint.
homemade turkey dressing - zuni cafe style
Ingredients
- 12 oz day old sturdy white bread unsliced
- 2 cloves garlic finely sliced
- 1 large or two small leeks white and light green portion only, chopped
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1/4 tsp dried savory
- olive oil
- clear turkey drippings - the fat
- concentrated turkey stock - recipe link below
- salt and pepper
Instructions
To prepare the bread
- You can do this at any time. Remove the crust from the loaf, then slice it about 1 1/2 inches thick. Brush liberally with olive oil. Heat your broiler and toast the bread until golden brown. Be very careful here. The bread can burn easily under the broiler.
- Let cool and rip into 1 inch pieces. Set aside in a large bowl.
To prepare the turkey dressing
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over low heat.
- Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook about 45 seconds. Next, add the leeks and sweat until translucent - about 5 minutes. Now mix in the herbs and continue to cook over medium low heat for another 3 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Combine leek mixture with bread and add the pine nuts. Moisten with concentrated turkey stock and place in a shallow oven-proof dish large enough to hold the all the turkey dressing.
- Pre-heat your oven to 375F if not already roasting your turkey.
- Thirty minutes before you plan to serve (around the time you pull your turkey from the oven), drizzle 5-6 Tbsp of turkey fat siphoned from your roasting pan over the dressing. Cover with foil and place in oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.
- Serve as you would stuffing.
