I’m gonna try to make this post as quick to read as it is to actually make the gravy recipe below. If you’re not a fan of Dijon, you can take it out, but I really encourage you to keep it in. It’s not an “in your face” mustard flavor, and Dijon goes so well with turkey, cranberry, and all other Thanksgiving flavors. Check it.
Dijon Country Gravy Made With Turkey Drippings
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup drippings from your Thanksgiving turkey, fat and all
- 1 heaping Tbsp AP flour
- 2 cups Unsalted chicken stock
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Put a saucepan on medium heat and add your pan drippings. Once the drippings start to sizzle a little, add your flour and whisk to form a roux. A roux (pronounced roou) is used to flavor and thicken stuff. Whisk the roux well and let it cook until it starts to smell a bit like burnt popcorn. Usually you go by color, but because you're adding the flour directly to pan drippings, the roux will start off darker than usual. So just whisk it for maybe a minute or so, and don't let it get too dark.
- Add about 1/4 cup of the chicken stock and whisk it all together. It should become a thick paste. Add another 1/4 cup of the stock and whisk it all together again until smooth, and bring it up to a simmer.
- Add 1/4 cup of half and half, whisk until smooth and bring to a simmer. Then the rest of the half and half, whisk until smooth and bring to a simmer again. Then back to the stock – add 1/4 cup and whisk until smooth, bring to a simmer, and keep doing that until it reaches a thickness you’re happy with.
- Add your dijon, whisk it all together, taste, add salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm (obviously).
What I love about gravy made from pan drippings is you can see all the pieces of flavor in there, and there’s so much depth. The dijon brings a new flavor that people aren’t used to, but all will love. Seriously, Greta and her cousins pounded that stuff, and your guests will too.
This has been a big week so far, but I have one more recipe for you tomorrow. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving, but is so often overlooked. See ya then.
Links to all the posts in this series:
• Savory Cornbread Stuffing
• Scratch-Made Asparagus Casserole (my version of green bean casserole)
• Country-Style Herbed Mashed Potatoes
• Dijon Country Gravy Made with Turkey Drippings
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce Worth Serving
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple and Bacon Vinaigrette
• How to Roast the Perfect Turkey
• Buttery and Crusty Herb-Topped Dinner Rolls
• Light and Airy Pumpkin-Ricotta Cheesecake
• How to Make an Entire Thanksgiving Meal In One Oven
Can this easily be adapted to be gluten and dairy free?
I have food intolerances and my daughter is vegetarian. Is there a way to make this without the turkey drippings? And suggestions for a substitute?
Toss some carrots, celery, and onions in some olive oil and Italian seasoning, then fry up in a pan on medium/medium-high heat. Remove the veggies and use vegetable stock as your liquid base to deglaze the pan and go from there!
This is the second time I’ve made this gravy, and it is so good! Thanks for a great recipe!
So glad you like it Tricia!
Hey Chris, this looks delicious! If I did need to make it gluten free, would you recommend using packaged gluten free “all purpose” flour, or something else for the roux? Thanks!
Perfect, that sounds easy enough! Thanks!
This gravy is super easy to make gluten free. Instead of adding the flour, I would add the rest if the ingredients, minus 1/4 cup of stock. While that’s all coming up to boil, mix the 1/4 cup stock with 1-1.5 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch. When the mix is boiling, add the cornstarch mix and whisk together, bringing back to a boil. Once it boils, it will be to full thickness. If it’s not thick enough, make more stock/cornstarch mix and add it, bringing to a boil and repeating until it’s the right consistently. Hope this helps!
If Julia can drink milk, I suggest taking a ginger pill with a glass of milk before trying to eat….I’ve had three kids and horrible morning sickness for the first 7 months, and with my last child I heard of this and it saved my life!
BTW this gravy looks amazing! Def going to make it a part of our menu this year :)