For the best poultry gravy, do not roast the turkey or chicken in a nonstick roasting pan: It keeps the flavorful bits of meat and skin from cooking onto the pan.

　　

Ingredients

makes 3 cups

　　Giblets from a turkey or chicken: neck, heart, gizzard, and liver

　　3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

　　1 carrot, roughly chopped

　　1 medium onion, roughly chopped

　　1 medium leek, white and green parts, roughly chopped, well washed

　　6 whole black peppercorns

　　1 dried bay leaf

　　1 1/2 cups Madeira wine

　　3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

　　3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

　　1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Make the giblet broth while the turkey is roasting. Trim any fat or membrane from the giblets. The liver should not have the gallbladder, a small green sac, attached. If it is, trim it off, removing part of the liver if necessary. Do not pierce the sac; it contains bitter liquid. Rinse the giblets, and pat dry.

　　

Step 2

In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables. Cook, stirring, until slightly brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add the neck. Cook, stirring, until slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1 quart water. Add the heart, gizzard, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Cover; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, until broth is reduced to about 3 cups, 50 to 60 minutes. Set aside.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, chop the liver finely. Melt the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the liver; cook, stirring constantly, until the liver is fully cooked and no longer releases blood, 4 to 6 minutes. Add to the cooking giblet broth.

　　

Step 4

Transfer the roasted turkey to a large platter. Pour the juices from the pan into a gravy strainer. Set aside to separate, about 10 minutes.

　　

Step 5

Strain the reserved broth. Return to the saucepan, and warm over low heat. Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat. Pour the Madeira into a measuring cup, and then into the pan; let bubble, and scrape the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.

　　

Step 6

Make a slurry: Place the flour in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Ladle 1 cup of the broth into the jar. Shake until combined. Slowly pour into the roasting pan; stir to incorporate. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the flour is cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly stir in the remaining broth.

　　

Step 7

Raise heat to medium-high. Add the pan juices from the fat separator; add the dark drippings from the bottom into the roasting pan. Discard the fat. Stir in the rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 10 to 15 minutes to reduce and thicken. (For thicker gravy, add 1 more tablespoon flour; reduce the water to 2 1/2 cups in step 2.) Strain the liquid from the pan through a very fine sieve. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until ready to serve.

　　

Perfect Grave Every Time

Step 8

To make gravy with a velvety texture and rich flavor:

　　

Step 9

Use every part of the bird, from the giblets to the crispy skin and caramelized juices in the bottom of the pan, which add both flavor and color to the gravy.

　　

Step 10

Use a gravy strainer. This straight-sided cup is fitted with a spout that feeds from the base. Because fat floats to the top of liquid, the spout pulls only the nonfatty juices into it.

　　

Step 11

Eliminate lumps that form when flour is added to the roasting pan too quickly and not blended well: Mix the flour and broth together before adding to the pan juices.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.