The Best Turkey Gravy

Ingredients

• Turkey neck, gizzards, and trimmings
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 quarts homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• A few sprigs mixed herbs, such as fresh parsley, thyme, or rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Using a cleaver, cut the reserved turkey neck, gizzards, and trimmings into 1-inch pieces. Warm the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Stir in the turkey pieces, onion, carrot, and celery, and cook, stirring now and then, until everything is nicely browned, about 10 minutes total.
2. Pour in the stock and soy sauce, then add the herbs and bay leaves. Bring the mixture up to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook for 1 hour. Strain it through a fine-mesh strainer. Stir in any drippings from the roast turkey, then spoon off extra fat. You should end up with a bit more than 1 quart of enriched stock; if you have less, add water or additional chicken stock to make 1 quart. Throw away the solids and reserve the stock.
3. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring the whole time, until the mixture turns golden brown, about 3 minutes. While whisking continuously, slowly pour in the fortified broth in a thin, even stream. Bring it to a boil, lower it to a simmer, and cook until the gravy has thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Add salt and pepper to taste. The gravy can be prepared up to 5 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator.