I picked up a whole bunch of turkey necks at the farmer’s market today.  I plan to make stock.  Times past, I’ve just tossed the whole lot in a pot with a lot of water, some carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and maybe a bay leaf or two along with some salt and pepper and let the whole thing just barely simmer for hours and hours.  I could still do that, but my wife, now 5 months pregnant has been loudly dreaming of gravy and mashed potatoes in a way that makes me think that if I know what’s good for me I’ll dish some up for her.  OK, she doesn’t really put it in those terms, it is more like “the baby really wants mashed potatoes and gravy, etc.”

So, I’m faced with a decision here - do I roast the necks in a pan so as to create the drippings with which to make gravy, or is there some other gravy making tactic I can employ here?  I should point out that I’m a total gravy making novice here - my first time was at Thanksgiving, and I’ve made it twice since.  Oddly, with so little experience, I seem to have a knack for it.  At least, my wife and mother-in-law like my gravy, and they are apparently pretty tough gravy critics.

In any event, skipping the roasting would certainly save me some time, but the baby is asking for mashed potatoes and gravy. . .