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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
45 minutes
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makes
2 cups
Author Notes
This scrumptious gravy will take your Thanksgiving—or any dinner, really—to the next level. Thanks to glossy caramelized onions, it has a wonderful sweet-savory flavor that works well with pretty much anything (yes, especially roast turkey). It’s the perfect binder for a copious holiday plate. You cook down lots of onions until they turn a deep amber—this is the foundation for our sauce. Simmer these caramelized onions with some stock, thicken with flour or starch, and just like that, you have a luscious golden gravy.
Because it hinges on pantry staples, you probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen. You can also make this recipe a few days ahead of time. Just gently reheat on the stove before serving. I highly recommend making a double batch: Throw it in a sandwich, over eggs, on top of rice, in a savory porridge... —Carolina Gelen
Test Kitchen Notes
This dish is part of Residentsgiving—aka the Thanksgiving menu of our wildest dreams—created by Food52's resident experts-slash-superheroes. Devour the rest of the spread here, and while you're at it, learn how to Remix & Remaster your Thanksgiving. —The Editors
Ingredients
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3 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
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3
large yellow onions (about 1½ pounds), thinly sliced
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more to taste
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2 1/2 cups
hot vegetable, turkey, or chicken stock, plus more as needed
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2 tablespoons
all-purpose flour (or 1 tablespoon cornstarch)
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Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
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Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and salt and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and lowering the heat as needed to prevent burning. After 20 minutes, the onions should be soft and translucent, with a light amber color.
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Increase the heat to medium, then gradually incorporate 1 cup of the stock: Add a splash to deglaze the pan, then cook down until the stock has mostly evaporated. Repeat this until you have incorporated the 1 cup of stock and the onions are soft and sort of mushy, with a dark amber color.
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Using a fork, mix the flour with ¼ cup of hot water or cornstarch with ¼ cup of cold water in a bowl. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the mixture over the onions to prevent any clumps in the sauce. Vigorously stir to incorporate and cook for about 1 minute to remove the raw flour/starch taste. While stirring, slowly add the remaining 1½ cups of stock to the onions. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until it’s as thick as you like. (If the gravy becomes too thick, you can add more stock to loosen it up.)
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Season with black pepper to taste and salt if needed. This gravy can be made ahead—simply store in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in a pot right before serving.
Carolina is a resident at Food52. She's also one of the hosts of Choose Your Own Recipe Adventure, our YouTube show where our Food52 readers pick the ingredients and techniques for a brand new recipe. Carolina recently immigrated to the U.S. from Transylvania, a place she spent most of her life. She continues to get inspired by the classic Romanian and Hungarian foods she was raised on, creating approachable, colorful, and fun recipes. For more cooking ideas and candid moments, check out her Instagram @carolinagelen.
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