Make a delicious gravy to serve with your Thanksgiving turkey! This gravy is also delicious as a base for turkey pot pie to use up the leftovers, or as a base for sausage gravy over biscuits.
Make the Base
You will start by making a base for your gravy. This part can be done a day or two to three days in advance. This makes holiday prep so much easier.
Start by making the Prosciutto Butter following this recipe. If you do not make the Prosciutto Butter, just use some butter to start the sauté. Sauté the turkey wings, shallots, and bay leaf until they are brown all over, for about 20 minutes. Salt and pepper the meat as it browns. I like to use my instant pot on sauté for this entire recipe.
Once the turkey wings are browned, add the white wine to deglaze the pot. Then, add fresh thyme and rosemary. Cook until the wine is reduced to a glaze, about three minutes.
Add water and Better than Bouillon to the pot, and bring it back to a boil. Taste, and add salt and pepper as desired.
If you are using an instant pot, bring it up to high pressure, and let it cook for 20 minutes. If you are doing this on the stovetop, let it simmer for an hour or more, until the meat is falling off the bones.
Pour your base over a strainer into a large bowl. Let the meat cool. Once it’s cool, pull the turkey off the wings and chop it into chunks. If you want to use some in the final gravy, mince it until it is very fine. Otherwise, cut it into bite size pieces and reserve it for your leftover turkey soup!
Dump the rest of the solids into the trash. You should have a large amount of flavorful broth. Taste and add salt if needed. At this point, you can make the rest of the gravy, or refrigerate your base for later. I do this part a few days before Thanksgiving.
Make the Gravy
To finish the gravy, remove your base from the refrigerator, and skim off the layer of fat.
Use the remaining Prosciutto Butter and melt it in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
Pour in your gravy base, and bring to a boil.
Spoon about half a cup of the hot gravy base into a bowl, and whisk in the flour. Add the flour mixture back into the pot, and stir until it starts to thicken. If you have Wondra, that works as a replacement for the flour. Add more flour or Wondra until the gravy is your desired thickness.
Serve the hot gravy with your Thanksgiving dinner.
Use the Leftovers
Leftover gravy makes a delicious base for Turkey Pot Pie! It also makes a great base for sausage gravy for Biscuits and Gravy. Serve it hot over open face turkey sandwiches. I always make a BIG pot of gravy, so we have lots leftover!
Turkey Gravy
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Prosciutto butter, divided: 2 T. separated out
- 3 turkey wings or necks
- 3 large shallots, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons Chicken Better than Bouillon
- salt
- pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
Instructions
Gravy Base
- Melt 2 Tablespoons Prosciutto butter in a large heavy pot, or on sauté in an instant pot over medium high heat.
- Add turkey wings or necks, shallots, and bay leaf, and sauté until browned, about 20 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper while cooking.
- Add wine, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, and boil until liquid is reduced almost to a glaze, about 3 minutes.
- Add 4 cups water and Better than Bouillon and bring to a boil.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- If using an instant pot, bring up to pressure and let cook about 20 minutes. Quick release.
- If cooking on stovetop, let simmer for about an hour or more, until the turkey is falling off the bones.
- When done, pour the gravy base over a strainer to remove turkey and all solids. Let solids cool.
- Strip the meat off the turkey parts, and set aside. Discard the rest of the solids.
- Mince the meat very fine, and put it back into the stock.
- This part can be made several days in advance. Cover the stock and refrigerate.
Finish the Gravy
- Remove the stock from the refrigerator and skim off fat.
- Melt reserved Prosciutto butter in a sauce pan large enough to hold your gravy stock base.
- Add reserved gray stock base and bring to a boil.
- If you want to add pan juices from your turkey, add them now. This is optional. I don't usually bother. The gravy has plenty of flavor, and I don't like to add more fat.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
- Remove about half a cup of liquid and whisk in 1/4 cup flour until smooth.
- Add flour mixture back to gravy and continue whisking until it reaches your desired thickness. You can also use Wondra to thicken if desired.
[…] the prosciutto butter as a base for your gravy with this recipe. Use the rest of it under the skin of the turkey, and on top of the skin to create a delicious […]