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Simple Make-Ahead Gravy. - harvestandnourish.com

Simple Make Ahead Gravy

Rich, smooth and so incredibly easy, this Simple Make Ahead Gravy is a lifesaver over the holidays. Just reheat and stir in the roast drippings for added flavour!
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Total Time:25 minutes
Course: Sauce
Keyword: gravy, make-ahead, simple recipe
Servings: 10 Makes about 1.5 litres (1½ quarts)
Author: Kerry

Equipment

  • Medium sauce pan
  • Whisk
  • Measuring set

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (or your fat of choice)
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup dry white wine or sherry
  • 5 to 6 cups chicken, turkey or vegetable stock, divided 1.25 to 1.5 litres
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (if using Morton’s reduce by half)
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • A few sprigs fresh sage and thyme
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Add butter to a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Once it starts to bubble and foam, whisk in the flour and cook, continuing to stir for 3-4 minutes just until it starts to brown. Add the wine or sherry and whisk again to combine.
  • Add 5 cups of stock, the salt, pepper and herbs. Turn heat to high keeping a close eye for about 2 minutes. Once it starts to bubble up, return heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and season with more freshly ground pepper and salt as desired. If you find the gravy to be too thick, add a little more stock and taste again. *If storing for future use, reserve the extra cup stock to be added before reheating.
  • Turn off heat and remove bay leaf, sage leaves and thyme stems or strain if needed. Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze until ready to serve (see note below). Optional: stir in roast drippings on the day for more flavour.

Notes

Stock: I call for 5 cups of stock to start for 1 to 1½ quarts gravy. It will cook down and thicken over time. Reserve an extra cup of stock for reheating before serving and adjust seasoning to taste.
Consistency: This recipe produces a relatively thin gravy for poultry or a vegetarian main, not a thick batter-like consistency.
Storage: If freezing, store in airtight deli quart containers like these ones or laid out flat in freezer bags. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat, return to sauce pan and simmer until hot. Thin with reserved stock as indicated above.