Simple Gravy
This Simple Gravy, as the name suggests, is very simple to make. But don’t let the simplicity fool you into thinking it’s not good. On the contrary, it’s one of my favorite things to make for Thanksgiving and absolutely delicious.
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Roux
So what is roux? Roux is a mixture of fat and flour, cooked together and used to thicken sauce. You can toast the flour to varying degrees to alter the flavor of the final sauce. For something like a bechamel you’d want to just cook the fat and flour together until the raw flour taste has been cooked off but you don’t want it to take on any color. For this gravy I like a nice medium brown. Roux can also be taken very dark brown and is used in, for example, Cajun and Creole dishes like gumbo. Roux is most often made with butter but can really be made with any type of fat. In testing I used a combo of schmaltz and butter and in my youtube video I used exclusively schmaltz as that’s what I had.
Schmaltz
Schmaltz is the rendered fat from poultry, be it chicken, turkey, or duck. When making Chicken Stock the fat from the chicken gets into the stock and as the stock cools down it floats to the top. I like to take this fat and replace some or all of the butter with it in the gravy.
Pan Drippings
You can also make this gravy with pan drippings. Once you have made your turkey pour all the liquid off and set to the side. Allow it to sit undisturbed so the fat and liquid can separate. Take the fat and replace as much or all of the butter in this recipe with that fat. Replace some of the stock in this recipe with the liquid pan drippings and proceed as instructed below.
Cream
I like to finish the gravy with a touch of cream. I did not grow up doing this but man do Swedes love a creamy sauce. Swedes in general love all kinds of sauce and almost always have some sort of sauce with their food. And they looove a creamy or cream based sauce. I have been converted and love them now as well. I find the texture and flavor to be improved with a touch of cream but you can skip it and this gravy will still be delicious.
Simple Gravy
Ingredients
- 50 g flour
- 50 g of butter OR schmaltz OR a combination of the two
- 500 g chicken or turkey stock unsalted!
- 5 g salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 50 g cream
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, melt the fat.
- Add the flour to the pan and stir together.
- Cook over medium to medium-low heat for about 7 minutes while stirring occasionally until the mixture becomes a nice toasty brown color.
- Pour a small amount of cold stock into the pan with the toasted flour and fat, and add the salt.
- Begin stirring the mixture to create a smooth paste. Once the stock is fully incorporated, add a bit more stock.
- Continue adding the stock gradually, about ½ cup (1 deciliter) at a time, until all the stock has been used and you have a smooth gravy.
- Stir in the cream and pepper.
- Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning as needed to suit your preference.
- If you prefer a thicker gravy, continue cooking it for a few more minutes to let some of the water evaporate.
- If you prefer a thinner gravy, add more stock to achieve your desired consistency.
- Serve the gravy warm over your favorite dishes such as roasted meats, mashed potatoes, or vegetables.