Rich turkey stock and pureed roasted vegetables create a creamy low-carb turkey gravy without flour.
Ingredients
- 2 turkey wings, or the neck and back from a spatchcocked turkey (about 2 pounds total for both)
- 1/2 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch thick slices (about 1 pound)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion
- 1/2 head garlic, halved horizontally
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth, or water
- small sprig of fresh sage
- small sprig of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon Bells poultry seasoning
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- For the Turkey Stock:
- Put the turkey wings, cauliflower, onion and garlic cut side down on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over everything, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste, and toss to combine. Roast, turning everything halfway through, until the turkey skin is golden and some of the fat has rendered and the garlic is caramelized, about 50 to 55 minutes, careful not to burn.
- Once done, remove the garlic from the skin and place in a large pot with the onion (discard any burnt parts), cauliflower and turkey. Pour the chicken broth onto the baking sheet and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all of the browned bits from the pan (put the pan over a burner turned to medium to help with any stubborn parts).
- Pour the broth and pan drippings into the pot with 6 cups of water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the sage and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, partially covered until the meat easily comes off the bone, at least 2 hours, or as long as 3 hours.
- Discard the turkey wings, thyme and sage. Pour the mixture through a sieve to separate out the solids. Remove as much fat as you can from the stock: either pour the stock into a separator if you’ve got one, or refrigerate or freeze the stock so the fat solidifies and can easily be removed. If refrigerating the stock, plan to make the gravy right before serving and warm the ingredients up first.
- To Make the Gravy:
- Add the vegetables (onion, garlic and cauliflower) to a high speed blender with bells seasoning and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. If the stock is hot, carefully pour in the stock, a little at a time, until the gravy is your desired consistency. If you added all the stock and the gravy is still too thick, switch to adding a little extra water as needed. (any extra stock can be saved for anotheruse). If you don't have a high speed blender, pour the stock through a fine mesh sieve to get the ultimate smooth gravy texture.
- When ready to use, heat up on stove, taste for salt and serve with your turkey dinner. Makes about 4 cups
