Author Notes
When I first saw the “Best Leftover Turkey Recipe” theme, I knew immediately what I would submit. My grandmother, Bammy, has been making these waffles for us before I could say, waffle. It was inspired by repeated family pilgrimages to a Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant where they would scarf down waffle upon waffle made in cast iron skillets and cooked in the fire, slathered in gravy.
An actual recipe has never existed until now. This week’s theme and Thanksgiving with Bammy forced her to indulge our pleading to make the gravy and waffles of our youth again. It is still unclear why she had been denying us for the past twenty years, but with all of us in the kitchen, we recreated and documented this family treasure.
You will need to stretch your leftover gravy to about 7 cups (including the added turkey and hard-boiled eggs) for 12 waffles. I have included a recipe for turkey broth, which you can use to make your holiday gravy as well for stretching your holiday gravy to enjoy with the waffles the next day for breakfast or dinner.
Note: If you are gluten-free, thicken the gravy with a corn starch slurry and pour it liberally over corn bread. You may have waffle enthusiasts join you- it is so good this way!
—wanderash
Ingredients
-
3 quarts
water
-
1
lg white onion, chopped
-
4
celery stalks, leaves included, chopped
-
3
carrots, peeled, chopped
-
5
sprigs parsley
-
1
small sprig rosemary
-
4
bay leaves
-
2 teaspoons
chicken base (bouillon)
-
Turkey neck and giblets
-
Left-over gravy
-
Left-over turkey, cut into chunks or shredded
-
4-6
hard boiled eggs, chopped
-
6-8 tablespoons
flour, sifted
-
Salt
-
12
Homemade waffles, made table side (make them crispy to hold up to the gravy)
Directions
-
For the broth, combine the first nine ingredients in a pot and let simmer for a hour.
-
Pass broth through a fine strainer and reserve broth. Trim off all usable meat from the neck. If desired, with a small paring knife trim giblets well. Cut neck meat and giblets into bite-sized pieces and add to broth. Discard all other vegetables and herbs. Covered and put in refrigerator, this step can be done a day ahead.
-
To make the thickener, put the flour and 2 cups of the turkey broth in a jar and shake it until it is well mixed.
-
To make the turkey waffle gravy, put left-over gravy and turkey in a sauce pot on the stove.
-
In order to stretch the gravy, add some of the turkey broth and add the thickener until you reach the desired consistency. You will need about 7 cups of gravy for 12 waffles. Wisk while adding the thickener and let boil until thick.
-
Taste the gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
-
Make the waffles tableside (make sure they are crispy) and pour 1/2 cup of gravy over each waffle.
My love for all things delicious lead me to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and three years of working in restaurants and wineries in Napa Valley. My love of travel has propelled me all over the world. After living in Honduras and Mexico for the past 5 yrs., my two children, super-hero husband, and I have just moved to the Midwest....... A new chapter is unfolding....
See what other Food52ers are saying.