Great Gravy

I included a wonderful 3-page plan for buying and preparing a turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner in my e-mail column notice. My wife tells me that I’m crazy to send out that thing, since it is almost 40 years old and probably outdated. However, I have found that the recipes, ingredients and preparation instructions always work, so I invite you to print and use them for any turkey dinner you prepare.

There is only one substitution I would recommend, and that is the topic for the column today, just in time for Thanksgiving. Here is my foolproof recipe that I first published in 2004 and again in 2006.

If you are at all like me, and can't get enough of turkey during the winter holidays, then you will appreciate this recipe for gravy to go with that big bird on Thanksgiving. Of course, you might be one of those who prefers to fry your turkey outdoors in one of those new-fangled fry pots, thus missing out on the wonderful aroma of cooking that permeates the house most of the day. But with the new cooking bags to make basting unnecessary, I prefer the old-fashioned method of baking in the oven; and that makes perfect conditions for this recipe.

We all share fond memories of holidays past when Mom or Grandma spent the whole day in the kitchen preparing the feast. The tricky part was always the making of the gravy after the turkey came out of the oven. Most of the time the gravy was perfect, but every once in a while it turned out either thin and watery, or thick and lumpy. Well, those days are over. This recipe will always make perfect gravy.

The ingredients are enough to make gravy for a 12-15 pound turkey, but you can adjust the recipe by adding more if you prepare a bigger one, or if you like more gravy. Use two small potatoes, two medium carrots and one small yellow onion. (small means about 3-4 inches in diameter) Wash the potatoes, but don’t peel them, and cut them in half. Peel the carrots and cut them into thirds. Peel the onion and cut it in half. When you bag the turkey for cooking, add the cut up vegetables into the bag and follow the normal cooking instructions for the bird. When it is done, remove it and the vegetables. Save the juice from the bag in a measuring cup.

Place the vegetables in a blender or food processor and add a quarter of a cup of the juice from the bag. Set aside the rest of the juice. Blend on medium setting and add more juice a little at a time until it has a gravy texture and look. Now taste it, and as the old Cajun cook, Justin Wilson would say, “I garrontee that you won’t be able to distinguish the taste of any of the veggies in there.” It will taste and look just like the great gravy that Grandma used to make. Not only will it taste right, but all things considered, it will probably be healthier for you too.

If you like giblet gravy—some do, I don’t—then be my guest and throw the boiled giblets in, but then you’re on your own. And forget the previous observation about healthy eating; you’re back to square one.

It wouldn’t be right to publish this recipe and not give credit to my daughter-in-law, who introduced it into our traditional Thanksgiving dinner several years ago. It might have even been in 2004, the same year I first shared it in my column. Thanks again, Anjula.

Well, that’s my contribution to your Thanksgiving feast. I hope each and every one of you has a joyous and memorable holiday season, both Thanksgiving and Christmas.