Recipe(tried): Great Homemade Gravy - Perfect Make-Ahead Gravy

Shannon: You are very wise to make many of your dishes ahead of time.

Here is a gravy recipe you can make ahead....if in doubt, make a batch tonight to test it. This is a basic pan gravy recipe that can be altered as you need. It can be used with turkey, ham, beef, pork, etc. and altered accordingly.

For example: If you don't make this in advance, instead of "butter, oil, or shortening", you can use drippings from your ham or turkey to make the roux.

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GREAT HOME-MADE GRAVY

To make a dark gravy, brown (1 tbsp or more) of flour in a skillet BEFORE adding oil or shortening.

Then make a roux (pronounced "roo") by adding an equal amount of flour and butter, oil, or shortening to the flour and cooking it over medium heat in a skillet until well blended.

(Each tablespoon of roux will thicken approximately 1 cup of hot gravy, sauce, or soup.)

You can also use pan drippings instead of butter, oil or shortening.

If you are using the gravy with beef, use some of your beef drippings. You can also fry some bacon and use those drippings. Include some of the meat left in the drippings to enhance the flavor of your gravy.

Once your roux is ready, whisk the roux into hot broth. You can used canned chicken,turkey or vegetable broth.

Simmer until thickened and the starchy taste cooks out. You can also add your broth to the pan in which you made the roux; however, add it slowly and stir continuously until all the broth is added.

If you want the thick country-style gravy such as is used on biscuits, add milk to the roux instead of broth. Remember, however, the milk will lighten the color of the gravy.

If you are wanting to include mushrooms in your gravy, saute your mushrooms before adding them to the gravy. Add them after adding the broth, however, if you do not want the mushrooms to be broken while whisking or stirring the broth into the roux.

If you want to make your gravy even darker, you can add a pinch of beef bouillon or instant coffee. Also, if your gravy becomes too thin after adding the liquid, thicken it using left-over mashed potatoes or instant mashed potato flakes.

Add salt and pepper to taste. ENJOY!