Recipe for Gravy at Life's Ambrosia

Whenever you roast chicken, beef or, to keep with the season, turkey, you probably notice the little brown flavor bits and lovely pan juices that accumulate in the bottom of the pan. It might seem a little crazy but did you know that some people actually throw this stuff away? Shocking, I know. Perhaps they do not know that those little brown bits and lovely juices are the perfect base for some of the best gravy ever. And it is actually a lot easier to make then some people think.

I decided to call this post Gravy instead of turkey gravy, chicken gravy or beef gravy for the simple fact that if you use this basic technique you can make just about any kind of gravy that suits your fancy. All you need is the reserved pan drippings from whatever you are roasting, flour, a good quality stock, some milk, salt and pepper and you are on your way to making delicious, creamy gravy fit for any Sunday dinner or Holiday meal.

Makes 2 cups

You will need:

2 tablespoons reserved pan drippings from roast chicken, beef, or turkey
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup chicken, turkey or beef stock
1 cup milk
fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt

Reserve the 2 tablespoons of pan drippings in your roasting pan. Place roasting pan on the stove. Heat pan drippings over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over the top and whisk until smooth, cook 1 -2 minutes. Be sure to scrape up any of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Slowly whisk in stock and milk. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until thickened, whisking occasionally. Gravy should coat the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve.

A few notes: Don’t worry if your gravy appears a bit lumpy, just keep whisking, it will smooth out. If you would like your gravy a little thinner you can add more stock until you reach your desired thickness. If you are making turkey gravy but do not have turkey stock, chicken stock will work just fine.

The perfect thing to spoon this gravy over? Creamy Mashed Potatoes of course. Enjoy!