A make-ahead gravy that doesn’t rely on turkey drippings or a roux. The gravy’s depth of flavor comes from roasted poultry bones and—surprise!—a sprinkle of MSG, which has an umami-to-the-max effect. (Despite exaggerated fearmongering reports in the ’70s, MSG is harmless in such small quantities; read more here.) If you have the backbone from breaking down the turkey into pieces, use it in tandem with the wings. See all of the Absolutely, Positively Perfect Thanksgiving recipes here.
Recipe information
Yield
8–10 servings
Ingredients
3
4
2
2
1
4
2
6
4
½
6
2
1
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450°. Toss wings in a large cast-iron skillet with 2 Tbsp. oil until coated. Roast, tossing halfway through, until golden brown and starting to crisp, 25–35 minutes.
Step 2
Remove wings from oven and add garlic, shallots, ginger, mushrooms, peppercorns, and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to pan; toss to coat. Return to oven and roast, tossing halfway through, until wings are deeply browned and crisp and vegetables are browned, 30–40 minutes more.
Step 3
Meanwhile, mash together flour and butter in a small bowl with your fingers or a fork until homogenous. Set beurre manié aside.
Step 4
Remove skillet from oven and set on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add sherry and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until sherry is almost completely reduced, about 2 minutes.
Step 5
Scrape wings and aromatics into a medium pot and add parsley and stock. Bring to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently, skimming fat from surface occasionally and turning wings so both sides get a chance to be submerged, until liquid is flavorful, mahogany in color, and reduced by about one-third, 30–40 minutes.
Step 6
Fish out wings; discard. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring glass; discard solids. Rinse out pot and pour turkey mixture back in. Bring to a simmer over medium. Whisking constantly, add reserved beurre manié and whisk until completely incorporated. Simmer, whisking often and skimming any foam from surface, until gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, 6–8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vinegar and MSG. Taste gravy and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Step 7
Do Ahead: Gravy (without vinegar and MSG) can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill. Reheat over medium until simmering, then add vinegar and MSG.
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Reviews (59)
Back to TopWait... You're saying Amontillado wasn't something made up by Edgar Allan Poe?!
Rob
Dayton, OH
10/18/2023
if it's bitter then I am wondering if you didn't accidentally overcook the garlic by a min or two.... try letting it down with some syrah or shiraz (a light fruity red wine) just add it until it barely loosens up then let it simmer for a bit then (10mins until it thickens again) add the vinegar and MSG as a last min "topping" for lack of a better term
Anonymous
WA
11/24/2022
A great recipe, but what really makes this is doing your own, from-scratch stock, especially if you take it all the way to the meat-jello stage. Really like the tang of the red wine vinegar, and I will admit, I've definitely gone a bit crazy at the end adding dashes of this and that (like a little zap of fish sauce :3). It's kind of hard to go wrong. The only problem I have with this gravy is that it's so good, it seems like a shame to waste it on something like Turkey. Couple tips I've learned: - Add a little salt to your tasting spoon to get a feel for what the final, seasoned product will taste like - When adding the beurre manié, add a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want (adding it all at once may take it past the thickness you want) - If you don't have a big enough cast iron pan, I've done this all in my dutch oven. You can also roast the poultry and veggies separately, and toss them + scrapings into the pot at the end. Just get them good an golden (but not burned! burning will add bitterness)
Dustin
Seattle, WA
11/24/2022
Made this a day ahead -- it's in the fridge and just needs the vinegar and msg. It does have a slightly bitter taste -- what did I do wrong? I followed the directions - only variation was generic "dry sherry" instead of amontillado. Suggestions?nWill the vinegar take care often bitter note?
SueP
Monterey, CA
11/24/2022
The effort is 100% worth it! Spend the time following the recipe, especially using sherry and MSG—incredible!!
Connor M
San Diego
11/23/2022
I’ve made this recipe at least 4 times now for various thanksgivings and christmases, and it always has rave reviews from my very large family. I have modified it a little over time- I always use the backbone from the turkey as well as the neck of the turkey as well, and don’t use the chicken wings at all anymore- helps make it more cost effective as well, as chicken wings are over $20 a pack at my local grocery store! I do every step in a cast iron dutch oven, and only transfer to a pot for the last step when whisking in the beurre manié (I usually make it 2 days in advance). I have never made it with MSG, not because I’m averse to it myself, but because I’m always making for a large crowd and I don’t want to deal with the hassle of someone having an issue with it. I still think it tastes amazing without!
MarieHen
Ontario, Canada
12/23/2021
Please everybody stop with the msg myth. It is eaten all over the world AND YOUR OWN BODY MAKES IT.
Anonymous
11/28/2021