Turkey and Giblet Gravy

Clean and dry turkey and set aside neck, giblets, and liver. Brush turkey with melted butter. (sometimes I have brushed it with olive oil, but usually I use the melted butter.) Mix try seasonings and rub thoroughly onto outside of bird. Place breast side up in a roaster. Add one cup water, cover, and bake according to directions. Let turkey sit one half hour before carving. Pour off dripping, skim off fat , and reserve for use in gravy.

Turkey Gravy

Put neck, giblets, and liver in saucepan. Add four cups chicken broth made of four chicken bouillon cubes and water. Add one stalk celery and one whole small onion. Do not add seasonings. Cover and simmer slowly about two hours. Strain soup, discarding all but the neck. Pull meat off neck and set aside to use in gravy.

Put 1/4 cup butter in large pan and melt it. Add 1/4 cup flour and mix to make roux. Use broth from turkey and from giblets to thin roux and make gravy, stirring constantly. When reaches desired consistency, add meat from turkey neck. Serve over dressing or rice or turkey.

NOTE: I got this turkey recipe from a Southern Living Party Cookbook that was published in 1972. I have used it since then to fix a turkey or to bake a chicken. As for the gravy, the part about the broth from the giblets and vegetables is from the SL cookbook. The part about the butter, flour, and broth from the turkey is from my mother. Combining the two is fabulous!!! None of my family likes the taste of giblets or liver, so I simply use them to flavor the broth and then throw away everything except the neck meat. If you need more gravy, simply increase the amount of butter and flour, but I always used equal parts.