Cookbook author and cooking teacher James Peterson created this recipe exclusively for Epicurious. The repeated caramelization of the vegetables is the secret to the gravy's surprisingly rich flavor. For more of Peterson's gravy-making advice, including how to thicken with a roux and avoid lumps, see ourGravy Primer.
Ingredients
About 2 cups
For thickening (optional):
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2
Spread the vegetables and thyme in a single layer in a dry heavy-bottomed flameproof roasting pan. Roast until any juices released by the vegetables have caramelized on the bottom of the pan, about 2 hours. Stir the vegetables using a wooden spoon to scrape up the crust on the bottom and sides of the pan. Continue roasting, stirring occasionally, until there is a brown crust covering the bottom of the pan, about 1 hour.
Step 3
Transfer the pan to the stove and add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, and continue boiling until the water dries out and caramelizes on the bottom of the pan, 3 to 5 minutes. With the pan over high heat, continue to caramelize the vegetables for 10 more minutes, adding drops of water to any dry spots and using a wooden spoon to scrape up the crust forming on the bottom of the pan.
Step 4
Add 3 cups of vegetable broth or water to the roasting pan and bring to a simmer while scraping the caramelized juices on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Continue simmering and scraping for about 1 minute.
Step 5
Pour the liquid and vegetables through a fine-mesh strainer set over a blender, pushing down on the vegetables to release their juices. Add about 3/4 cup of the vegetables to the blender (discard the remaining vegetables) and purée on high for 1 minute. Strain the gravy again, pushing on any remaining solids to help thicken the gravy. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley, chervil, or tarragon, if desired. DO AHEAD:Gravy can be made ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Reheat in a small saucepan over moderate heat.
If you want thicker gravy, use butter and flour to make a roux. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Sprinkle with the flour and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in the gravy and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and continue cooking until the mixture thickens.
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Reviews (2)
Back to TopFirstly this gravy is worth the effort in my opinion. Surprisingly flavorful. I've made it a couple of times but this last time was my best. My timetable was 2pm cut up veggies, 3pm started oven stirred various times to get the most caramelizing. By 5:30pm I transferred pan to cooktop. Added white wine instead of water to deglaze pan.I doubled the recipe but when it came time to simmer on cooktop I didn't have enough vegetable broth. So I turned off the heat and ran to the store. While it sat I think it actually intensified and veggies got softer, so followed recipe exactly I ended up with an entire blender of gravy. Long process finished about 7:30 PM. I'm beat.
Anonymous
Delray Beach Fl
11/24/2021
This is my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian and, while I'm happy to give up the turkey, I will miss the gravy on my mashed potatoes and stuffing. So I decided to take a stab at vegetarian gravy. First the good: the color and consistency are amazing. Looking at it, no-one would believe it's not meat gravy. Now the bad: 3 hours at 375 degrees is a LONG time to roast vegetables. Mine did not carmelize; they charred despite using a heavy Calphalon roasting pan on the middle rack. I gave up after about 2.5 hours, removed them from the oven and proceeded with the rest of the recipe. I fully expected to throw away the final product but decided to give it a fair shake first. Rather than adding 3/4 of the vegetables to the blender as directed, I added only the ones that weren't charred completely black, namely the turnip and carrot. The final product was better than I expected. I added a tablespoon each of butter and cream in an attempt to cut the bitter taste caused by the burnt bits. I think this recipe is definitely worth another shot. Next time I'll probably lower the heat, toss the veggies with a little oil in the roasting pan, and cover them with aluminum to keep them from drying out so much. If anyone gets it just right, please let me know how you did it! It has real potential.
kbcgray
USA but living in Bangkok, Thailand
11/21/2012
