One of the best accompaniments to a turkey dinner is gravy. It just doesn’t seem like a proper holiday meal without it. Gravy is not a common side dish in our home, but I will prepare it once or twice throughout the year, usually at Christmas time. Below are a few variations of gravy recipes, but first, a bit of history.
- Gravy is a sauce made from the juice of cooked meats and thickened with flour or cornstarch
- Gravy usually accompanies large meals in the UK such as Sunday roasts, chicken, beef, and pork dinners
- Throughout North America, gravy is usually served with a holiday meal
- Gravy is well known in Canada served on the popular dish Poutine
- There are many variations of gravy including mushroom, onion, vegetable, beef, chicken, and turkey, just to name a few
Turkey and Pork Sausage Gravy
This is a traditional Southern recipe in which my family in Texas makes at Christmas time. When I heard the suggestion that this gravy would be good on anything other than meat, I had my doubts. This isa popular gravy used the next morning to go along with your eggs, bacon, and biscuits, and it mildly surprised me that I did indeed enjoy it as much as they predicted.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground pork sausage
- turkey pan dippings
- ½ cup Bisquick
- 3 cups milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set the drippings from your roast turkey aside. In a large skillet, cook the two pounds of pork sausage. Once fully cooked and browned, break the sausage into small pieces.
- Sprinkle in one-half cup of Bisquick and stir until combined.
- Whisk in three cups of milk, bringing to a boil until thickened, and add the turkey drippings.
- Stir in the salt and pepper to season and serve over biscuits.
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Creamy Turkey Pan Gravy
This gravy recipe is great to make with those big turkey holiday dinners. The next day, we would mix the leftovers together,(depending on whether there are enough mashed potatoes) shape them into patties, fry, and serve with the remaining gravy.
Ingredients
- 1 large turkey
- 5 medium onions (chopped in quarters)
- 3 cups chopped celery
- 2 cups peeled and chopped carrots
- fresh rosemary (1 bunch)
- fresh savory (1 bunch)
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup unsalted softened butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 tbsp Bisquick
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees. Place five medium onions, three cups of celery, and two cups of carrots into the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the turkey on top of the vegetables and add the bunches of rosemary and savory to the sides of the pan.
- Rub the softened butter over the turkey, cover, and place in the oven. Baste the turkey every hour, until done, approximately three to four hours, or until a thermometer reads one hundred and seventy-five when inserted into the upper leg.
- Remove the lid at this step and increase the oven temperature to four hundred and twenty-five degrees, and place the turkey back in the oven until golden brown.
- Remove the turkey from the pan to rest.
- Place the roasting pan on top of the stove on medium heat, scraping the turkey bits and drippings with a wooden spoon. Stir in one cup of chicken broth.
- Use a strainer or sieve to strain the liquid into a saucepan, and place over medium-high heat.
- Whisk together one cup of heavy cream and five tablespoons of Bisquick until well blended.
- Mix the liquid and cream mixture together for five minutes and reduce heat. Simmer for twenty minutes on low heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve the gravy with the turkey and enjoy.
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Turkey Pan and Mushroom Gravy
I have to admit; I have never been a huge fan of mushrooms, but I enjoy them in this gravy recipe. I will usually double the recipe (you may have to add extra chicken broth) and use it to make turkey potpies. It also works really well in a modified version of shepherd's pie (just omit the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken).
Ingredients
- roast turkey drippings
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups button mushrooms
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 clove of garlic (minced)
- ½ cup Bisquick
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Stir two cups of chicken broth into the roast pan containing the turkey drippings, being sure to scrape any of the bits stuck to the pan.
- Strain the broth and turkey dripping liquid through a sieve, and transfer to a saucepan.
- Add one-half cup of Bisquick a little at a time, whisking in until smooth.
- Continue stirring until thickened and remove from heat.
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat melt two tablespoons of butter. Add one clove of garlic and two cups of mushrooms stirring until brown.
- Stir in one-half cup of white wine or chicken broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in one tablespoon of fresh parsley.
- Mix the mushrooms and juices from the pan and stir into the gravy mix. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Most people will correlate gravy as an accompaniment to the big holiday dinners, consuming it as little as one to two times a year. Other countries and cultures will have it as often as every week. There are many variations of gravy and depending on your preferences, you may or may like any of them, other than the one you are used to. I know for myself, I usually stick with the recipe from my childhood because that is what I know and like. I have friends that will make two different recipes; a new recipe, and the traditional recipe as a backup. I also know others who don’t want the bother of preparing gravy at all and will buy a can of already made gravy from the local grocery store. Whatever your preference, just be sure to enjoy it.
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