Early Bird Turkey Gravy

By GadgetGirl

Ingredients

• 6 stalks celery, cut up
• 4 carrots, unpeeled and cut up
• 2 onions, unpeeled and quartered
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 5 pounds bone-in, skin-on turkey thighs or drumsticks
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 8 cups water
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 cup turkey drippings
• Marjoram leaves (optional)

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 90mins
Adapted from bh&g.com

Preparation

Step 1

For Turkey Broth, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place celery, carrots, and onions in a roasting pan; add 2 tablespoons melted butter and toss to coat. Top vegetables with turkey. Roast turkey pieces and vegetables uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove turkey and vegetables to an 8-quart pot. Stir wine into hot roasting pan; scrape up browned bits. Add to pot with turkey. Add 8 cups water to the pot; add peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring water to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Use a slotted spoon to remove turkey and vegetables from broth*. Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve, discarding solids. Measure 6 cups broth. Cover and chill any remaining broth for another use.

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. When it foams up, add the flour and whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it darkens into deep caramel color. Remove from heat. Carefully stir in broth (mixture may spatter). Cool gravy mixture; transfer to freezer containers. Seal, label, and freeze for up to 1 month.
Thaw overnight in fridge. Reheat in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and cold water. Add to gravy mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Add 1 cup turkey drippings from freshly-cooked turkey, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in marjoram leaves before serving.

Remove turkey from bones and reserve for another use, if desired.

Nutrition Facts Per serving: 67 kcal cal., 5 g fat (3 g sat. fat, 0 g polyunsaturated fat, 1 g monounsaturated fat), 16 mg chol., 53 mg sodium, 4 g carb., 0 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 1 g pro.