Make-Ahead Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- ½ carrot
- 1 stick celery
- 1 slice streaky bacon
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 5 free-range chicken wings
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 40 ml white wine dry, optional
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 375 ml chicken stock or turkey stock
- ½ tbsp red currant jelly
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
Equipment
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Roasting tray
Tongs
Wooden spoon
Large spoon
Measuring jug
Sieve
Saucepan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Do your veg prep first by roughly chopping the onion, carrot, celery and rashers.
- Put the veg and bacon in a large roasting tray that will work on your hob later along with the bay leaf, thyme and rosemary. Add in the chicken wings and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper and give it all a toss through before putting in the oven to roast for 1 hour.
- Remove the tray from the oven and place on a low heat on the hob. Use tongs to break everything apart and toss in the tray. Allow to fry for 2-3 minutes until everything gets darker and toasty. This develops the flavours to make an even tastier gravy, so take your time. Pour over the dry white wine (if using) and allow to bubble for 5 minutes until mostly evaporated.
- Sprinkle over the plain flour and allow to cook, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes. Slowly pour in half of the chicken stock. Stir continuously, making sure to scrape the bottom as you go. Bring to a steady simmer and allow to cook and thicken for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the sauce is as thick as you like, pour through a sieve a little at a time into a saucepan. Use the back of a spoon to help push everything though.
- Add the remaining stock to the saucepan. Bring back to the boil and simmer until the gravy has reached the desired consistency. Stir through the red currant jelly, then season to taste.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, then store in sealed containers in the fridge or freezer until it’s time to finish the gravy.On the day of serving, defrost the gravy at room temperature if frozen. When the turkey is cooked, skim away most of the fat from the turkey roasting tray. Remove most of the juices into a jar and allow to cool before storing in the fridge for soups or sauces.Add your make-ahead gravy to the tray with the remaining juices. Bring to the boil, scraping any sticky bits up. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and taste again to perfect the seasoning. Serve piping hot to the table.
Notes
Do yourself a massive favour and make sure to use this recipe in advance of Christmas or any big occasion. Doing this before the big day takes so much pressure of you in the kitchen. There's a fair bit to getting the gravy just right so getting it done in ahead of time is a no brainer.
*Excludes white wine.
Nutrition
Calories: 115kcal