4 Ways to Transform Leftover Gravy

One thing is for sure on Thanksgiving Day: it is better to have too much gravy than not enough. More dry turkeys have been saved by the stuff than one can imagine (not that your turkey would be dry—you’re part of the Epi community). Still, your mashed potatoes want gravy, as does your dressing. Maybe even your mac and cheese wants gravy—I don’t know what your side dishes do when I’m not around.

What I’m getting at is: Big Batch Gravy is advisable. However, big batch gravy often leaves leftover gravy in its wake, which can congeal into an unsightly glob that’s too often tossed. But there are so many reasons to hang on to that gravy—and I don’t mean bourbon-gravy shooters, unless really savory drinks are your thing. I’m talking about nextovering, the purposeful act of making more food than you need in one sitting so that you have extras to turn into something else.

Leftover gravy will keep in your fridge for about three days. If you won’t use it up in that time, pour the gravy into a zip top bag and lay it flat on a rimmed baking sheet. Slide that baking sheet into the freezer and leave it until the gravy is a solid plank. Then file your gravy plank into the freezer however you’d like. The frozen gravy will keep for at least 3 months—and, tbh, I’ve kept some around for upwards of 9 months.

Now, about putting that gravy to use:

Whisk it into mayonnaise

Many day-after-Thanksgiving sandwiches have boasted a slathering of chilled gravy. But you can make your turkey sandwich richer and creamier by whisking gravy into mayonnaise. Deepen the flavor with a dollop of miso; brighten it with a squeeze of lemon juice and a few fresh herbs. Then slather away, or use as a dip for sliced chicken cutlets or steamed broccoli later in the week.

Gravy Mayo

Bon AppétitTurkey & the Wolf; New Orleans

Stir it into soup (or stew)

When you think about it, gravy is nothing more than really concentrated broth (which may or may not be thickened with flour—either way, it’ll work here). So use that gravy as the base of your next wing-it soup. Add chilled or frozen leftover gravy (about ½ cup for a brothy soup or up to 2 cups for something more stew-like) right to a pot of sautéed vegetables, meat, and/or cooked grains. Stir until everything is evenly coated, then add about 4 cups stock or water. Simmer until it’s cooked to your liking.

If you’re going the stew route, you could even toss a plank of frozen gravy into your slow cooker with seared stew meat, a few vegetables, and some stock and cook it on low for about 8 hours or high for about 4.

More in the mood for a deeply flavorful cream of something soup? (Mushroom comes to mind.) Sauté mushrooms (or whatever) plus onions, garlic, and maybe a little celery in a pan, then add gravy and equal parts milk and stock. Done.

Make a ragù

This is almost the same idea as above but with less broth. Sauté a pound of ground meat (or mushrooms or turnips or cauliflower), add a chopped onion and a few minced garlic cloves and sauté until softened (or add a few tablespoons caramelized onions), then add about 1 cup leftover gravy. Stir in a little water to loosen and simmer until the sauce is thick and everything is well coated.

Toss the ragù with cooked pasta; spoon it over roasted squash or polenta; or stuff it into a pot pie, shepherd’s pie, a pasty, or lasagna.

Poutine

Using gravy as gravy might be obvious, but it can go over more than just biscuits (not that there’s anything wrong with getting on the biscuits-and-gravy train). If you’re looking for other options, think poutine (the Canadian favorite of fries topped with gravy and cheese curds). Simply warm up gravy on the stove—thin it out with a little more stock or water if necessary—then drizzle at will.

Or use poutine at the inspiration to make a gravy-topped burger. No fries? How about poutine-inspired nachos: drizzle gravy over tortilla chips topped with melted cheese (we’d love a pickled jalapeño in there too).

Why-Is-It-So-Good Gravy

Bon Appétit

Originally Appeared on Epicurious