Gravy is notoriously difficult to get right at Thanksgiving dinner. But it’s OK to cheat. If you plan to use this trick for your Thanksgiving meal, sub turkey drippings for butter and add chopped liver and kidney to sauce.
6-Minute Thanksgiving Gravy
1 .87-ounce package gravy mix
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/4 cups wine (red for beef, white for poultry or pork)
2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs of choice, like rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley
In a small bowl, mix powdered gravy with 1/2 cup cold water until complexly dissolved/incorporated.
In a large pan over medium heat, melt butter, add shallots and garlic. Saute, whisking, for 2 minutes, until shallots and garlic are soft. Add wine. Bring mixture to a boil for additional 2 minutes. Add gravy and continue whisking until mixture comes to a boil. Whisk for an additional 2 minutes while boiling, until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and fold in fresh herbs.
Sauce will be thinner than gravy. If you wish for a thicker sauce, reduce wine to 1 cup. Use herbs of choice to complement finished dish.
Use a decent wine, as the flavor will become more concentrated as alcohol boils off.