Easy turkey gravy ideas, please?

[oldrustycars]

I'm making the whole dinner this year. As much as I like cooking, for some reason I don't like making Thanksgiving dinner, but I don't let anyone know. Also, just because I like cooking doesn't mean I'm good at it.
Now, the gravy. I always use the one tbsp fat, one tbsp flour, one cup stock method. I never seem to have enough turkey drippings. What do I do? I was thinking of using chicken broth? I've never used the giblets, can I make stock from that? Can I do any of this the day before? I'm looking for easy, not fancy. Thanks for any input.
Last year I made the only gravy I'm good at, white gravy, but it doesnt seem very "Thanksgivingy"

 

[Wyogal]

I always put the neck in a pot on the stove while roasting the turkey, adding celery, onion, carrot, bay leaf, clove. (stock)
I also have a habit of basting my bird with a stick of butter, as well as some stock, so have drippings. After the butter has run over the bird a few times, it is flavored pretty well. While the turkey is resting, transfer drippings to your gravy-making vessel (sometimes it's not in the roasting pan, which could be foil, can use a bit of water to scrape off the good stuff, I put that into the stock).
Then if not enough fat, add more butter, then add your flour (roux). Then add strained stock. I just ladle it from the stock pot to the gravy, holding a strainer over the gravy. I also use water from my mashed potatoes.
Season to taste with s&p, and a bit of sage (or poultry seasoning, which has sage in it).

 

[sparrowgrass]

If I am doing a big turkey dinner, sometimes I buy a couple of turkey drumsticks and use them to make stock for the gravy. I do it ahead of time and freeze the stock--one less thing to worry about.

Yes, you can use the neck, gizzard and heart --I don't use the liver. Yes, you can use chicken stock.

I mix flour and water into a slurry and stir it into the stock for gravy, instead of doing the roux method. Just the way the my Mama did it.

 

[Constance]

I get my stock from boiling the giblets (the liver doesn't take as long to cook as the other parts, so take it out as soon as it's tender) and the neck.

Make the gravy base by making a roux of equal amounts melted butter and flour, then whisk in the stock, using 1 cup per tablespoon of butter. Simmer and stir over medium heat until thickened to your satisfaction. Add diced giblets if you like them (we do) and season with S&P.
If you don't like giblets, you could use mushrooms instead...either fresh ones that you sauteed in the butter before you added the flour, or drained canned ones...and/or caramelized onions. Or leave it plain...s'up to you!

It seems like there's never enough gravy, so I use 4 tsp butter, 4 tsp flour and 4 cups broth. If you don't have enough broth from boiling the giblets, add canned chicken broth.

One time, I got busy and let all the liquid boil away out of the giblets. I caught it just before it burned and added more water. It ended up making the best gravy I'd ever made.

 

[Laury]

Make as much gravy as you can and then supplement with a can or two of supermarket turkey gravy. You can't tell it's been added.
I swear by Wondra flour for making gravy. It never clumps.

 

[CharlieD]

I don't have time to dig, but there was a huge thread here about gravy, I started back when I was trying to learn how to make good gravy, try to search for it.

 

[Mrs. Cuillo]

I buy either a jar or powder mix and add the drippings to make it taste homemade.

 

[bigdaddy3k]

Knorr makes a mushroom bullion that does great in a pinch for extending stock for gravy. Just make it up like you were having soup and add to your stock.

 

[GrillingFool]

You could boil up the giblets with some celery, onion, garlic, etc the day before,
and use it to make your gravy, definitely! I like to add some powdered gravy mix
or at least bullion to give it a bit more depth.

and I too have boiled the giblets dry and rescued them with stock. Was good gravy!