Homemade Beef Gravy

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Homemade gravy is a delicacy; in my household, in fact, it’s practically worshipped. If you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting homemade gravy, you really must do so. It has a natural richness and depth of flavor that jars or packets of gravy can never imitate. The consistency is also markedly improved when making a homemade version; the gravy is much less watery, and much creamier. Besides, it’s so easy to make! Especially if you’re making the gravy as a compliment to something like meatballs; the flavors are right there in the bottom of the pan, openly begging to be used. You know those brown bits on the bottom when meat is finished cooking? Those are little nuggets of concentrated flavor, and they aren’t to be wasted. The recipe isn’t complex, requires very few ingredients, and takes very little time to prepare, which is yet another reason why I would highly recommend giving homemade gravy a try. Trust me, your mashed potatoes and your taste buds will thank me later!

Ingredients: 

1 tbsp olive oil or canola oil

2 tbsp butter

14 ounces beef broth

2 tbsp corn starch

1 cup warm water

Half & half (amount may vary depending on your preferred thickness.  I used about a half pint)

What to do:

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add butter and beef broth, cook for a few minutes (5-10) to allow the flavors to marry, and for everything to heat through.

Mix the corn starch and the water (I use a glass measuring cup to do this), and add to the pan.  Allow to continue cooking until the mixture is somewhat thickened, about 10-15 minutes.  Make sure to continue to stir almost constantly.

 

 

Once the mixture has thickened, start to add the half & half.  I add a little at a time, stirring constantly, until it reaches my desired consistency.

 

 

Keep in mind that once you remove the gravy from the heat, it will thicken more, so you’ll want to turn off the heat when it’s just about finished.  If you find that it’s not thickening enough, just add a little more corn starch.  Just make sure that if you do this, allow the gravy to cook for a few minutes after adding it so the corn starch flavor cooks out.

Finished product:  

A common play on gravy in the South is chocolate gravy! A Mexican dish, it is traditionally served with breakfast foods. It is made with fat, flour, cocoa powder, and a bit of sugar.