Not to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty good at Thanksgiving. I’ve been helping my mom cook our annual feast for the past 20 years, and I’ve tried my hand at just about everything.
Even though my mother prefers my grandmother’s dry turkey, I think my turkeys have been pretty tasty. I’ve tried all the tricks—butter-basting, bacon-draping, frying, brining—even slathering it with mayonnaise. You name it, I’ve tried it. No matter the treatment, it turns out good.
I’m even better at making cornbread dressing. I think it’s because I love cornbread more than I love my own sister (calm down Jennifer I’m only joking). In tandem with dressing, I’m also great at making greens, again, because I love potlikker (actually more than I love my sister…sorry, Jennifer).
The Recipe I Can’t Get Right
Casseroles, cranberry sauce, even cakes and pies—none of these give me any problems. But the one recipe that continually laughs in my face is the one that you can’t have Thanksgiving without—the gravy.
By its nature, gravy is problematic. You’ve got to get the fat-to-flour ratio right. You’ve got to make sure it’s super flavorful. And most importantly, there can’t be a darn lump in sight. Now, I can usually make all of those things happen, but there’s just one issue—timing.
Somewhere along the way, I decided that I simply HAD to use turkey drippings to make the gravy for Thanksgiving. It just makes sense. However, waiting until the turkey is out of the oven means that I’m inevitably trying to whisk up a perfect gravy while a kitchen full of hungry guests is gathered around, sharing every opinion they’ve ever had on the subject.
The Tried-and-True Recipe
But last year a miracle happened. I was grumbling to a coworker about my gravy trauma, and she shared this tried-and-true make-ahead gravy recipe with me.
Dubious but desperate, I gave it a try. And you know what? It was actually just as delicious as my frantic turkey gravy, and 97% less stressful to make. Simply whisk it up, cool it down, then refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Then when it’s turkey time, just pop that boat in the microwave, zap it, give it a stir, and you’re good to go.
Give it a try this year and tell us what you think. I’ll bet you a bag of giblets that none of your guests will know the difference.
Dining and Cooking