Turkey Gravy

For the turkey stock (do ahead, see note):
Heat oven to 375ºF. Arrange turkey legs and neck on a rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Roast for 1 hour.

Transfer legs and neck to a stock pot. Pour drippings from baking sheet into a fat separator, set aside to settle. While the pan is still hot, pour 1 cup of water onto the baking sheet. Carefully scrape any brown bits from the pan using a wooden spoon. Pour liquid into the pot with the turkey. Add onion, carrot, celery, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Add 10 cups of water. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered until reduced by 1/3, about 3 hours. 

Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean saucepan. It should total about 6 cups. If it’s more, bring to a boil and reduce to 6 cups. This can be made up to a week ahead. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

For the gravy:
(If you’re roasting a whole turkey for Thanksgiving and want to prepare gravy with its drippings, start here.) 

Pour the drippings in the fat separator out; you’ll need about 1 cup of drippings. Set the remaining fat aside. Add turkey stock to a pot, bring to a simmer.

Heat a separate large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add fat to the skillet, about 1/3 cup. If you don’t have enough fat, add butter. Add 1/3 cup flour to the skillet, whisk until well incorporated and golden brown, making the roux, about 2 minutes. It will clump; continue to mix until all flour is incorporated.

Whisk drippings into the roux and bring to a simmer. Add turkey stock 1 cup at a time to the roux, bringing the gravy to a simmer and letting it thicken after each addition. Continue to do this until you use 6 cups of turkey stock. If you like a thicker gravy, use only 4 to 5 cups. Once incorporated and creamy, stir in herbs, check the seasoning and adjust to taste. It’s ready to serve!