A rich gravy is the crowning glory of your roasted bird and fluffy mashed potatoes.

Gravy is one of the easiest and most delicious accompaniment we can make for our holiday dinner.  Forget about that jar of prepared gravy!  Following these pracical directions will yield you a far more palatable sauce for your meat and mashed potatoes.

Let’s say we’ve just taken our roasted turkey out of the oven.  It is golden and juicy.  We have removed the turkey from it’s roasting pan a placed it on a platter to “rest” 20-30 minutes before carving.  Cover it lightly with foil to help keep the heat in. 

At the bottom of this roasting pan there should be some collection of tasty bits, meat juices, fat rendering.   This is an unrefined jackpot!  We first want to pour the entire contents of the roasting pan into a large glass (heat-proof) container, such as a PYREX measuring cup.  Scrap all the bits and stuck-on dark yummies from the raosting pan into your measuring cup.  Some hot water, about a 1/4 of a cup, may assist you here. 

Look at the contents in your glass container.  You will see a dark, rich, lumpy layer topped by an oily, somewhat clear layer.  We now want to separate the meat juices from the fat rendering.  This can be done by  spooning-off the oily layer, or even slowly pouring it off.  This is a very important step.  A little residual fat is ok, but too much is going to yield a greasy gravy, and we don’t want that.  The excess fat will not incorporate into your gravy, it will just be a slick on the top. 

Some people prefer a smooth, lump-free gravy, if so, you’ll want to strain the meat juices.  Personally, I will add the meat juices back to the roasting pan.  A metal roasting pan can be placed right on your stove top.  using a flat pancake turn, I mash the lumps and sracpe the roasting pan as it sits over medium heat.  Before it simmers I taste it for flavor.  Does it need salt, pepper or perhaps a little garlic?  If it does, I add it now.  When I am satisfied with its flavor and it’s consistency, it is time to thicken the juices. 

For the SLURRY:

• 1/2 cup Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water

Wisk water and cornstarch together until smooth and there are no lumps.  Set aside.

Bring the meat juices to a simmer in the roasting pan.  It is good to have the slurry standing by, along with a secondary liquid (water, white wine or beer).   This secondary liquid is used to tweak the gravy’s consistency. 

When the meat juices are simmering, give the slurry a quick stir as it has a tendency to separate while it sits.   The cornstarch on the bottom may actually be hard…don’t worry.  Poke at it to break it free, and stir it in again.  We want the starch in the slurry to be equally spread out in the water as it is streamed into the hot meat juices.  This will ensure a smooth gravy.  As the slurry is steadily poured into the simmering meat juices, stir the meat juices constantly.  Return the gravy to a simmer, and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes as the gravy thickens.   Checking the consistency of the gravy,  taste it once again for flavor.  The gravy will thicken more as it cools, so we want to make sure it is not too thick in the roasting pan, or it won’t pour very nicely from the gravy boat.  A splash or two  of beer, wine or water will be handy here to adjust the thickness if necessary.  The beer and wine add a nice “tang” to the gravy.  Your gravies consistency and flavor are a matter of taste.   Allow yourself the time here to work with gravy, repeating these steps as necessary.  Sometimes it come perfect the first time….usually it needs a little tweaking.  Look at it as adding just the right amount of love.