A gravy is made by thickening juices from a roast with flour. Making a generous amount of well-flavored turkey jus or gravy involves a paradox; if the turkey is properly cooked or if it is stuffed, it will release little in the way of juices. When overcooked, as most turkeys are, it will provide plenty of juices for your gravy. If the turkey has released an abundance of juices—a couple of cups (500 milliliters) or more—serving the jus is a simple matter of skimming off the fat and serving the juices as they are, as a "jus." To convert them to gravy, make a roux and add the juices to that. To make giblet gravy, roast the giblets in the pan along with the turkey, chop them fine, and add them to the gravy.
If you've cooked your turkey just right, you won't see much in the bottom of the pan and what there is won't have a whole lot of flavor. To get the most flavor out of a small amount of juices, boil down the juices until they caramelize on the bottom of the pan, pour out the fat (or leave a few tablespoons in the pan if you're making a roux), and deglaze the pan with water or broth. Use only as much broth as you need to serve the guests at hand—about 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) per person—because the more broth you add, the less flavorful the juice will be. If you're a fanatic, you can bring up the flavor of the jus by adding a little broth at a time and caramelizing after each addition. To stretch a small amount of jus without diluting its flavor, consider swirling in 1/2 ounce (15 grams) of butter per serving.
Recipe information
Yield
6 servings of gravy or jus
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
1. Transfer the turkey to a platter and pour any juices that have accumulated in the cavity into the roasting pan.
Step 2
2. Chop the giblets until quite fine but not into a purée.
Step 3
3. If the pan is swimming in juices, pour all the juices into a glass pitcher and skim off and discard the fat with a ladle. If you're making gravy, put 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of the fat back in the roasting pan.
Step 4
4. If there are less than 2 cups (500 milliliters) of juices in the roasting pan, put the pan on the stove over high heat. Move the pan around every couple of minutes so it's heated evenly. Continue in this way until a brown crust forms on the bottom of the pan and the only liquid in the pan is a layer of shiny liquid fat. Pour out the fat; if you're making gravy, leave 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of the fat in the pan.
Step 5
5. If you're making gravy, add 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of flour to the fat in the pan and stir over medium heat until it smells toasty, about 3 minutes. Whether making a jus or gravy, add the broth and bring to a simmer. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dissolve the juices. Stir in the giblets. Whisk in the butter, if using. Season with salt and pepper.
