Make Ahead Cider and Sage Gravy

Make Ahead Cider and Sage Gravy ~ this upgraded no-drippings gravy is tailor made for cozy fall dinners, and it’ll be in our Thanksgiving gravy boat this year for sure!

Make ahead gravy takes the pressure off all your big meal cooking this fall and holiday season.

If your holidays are anything like ours, there’s nothing that causes more tension than the last minute gravy making. Any kitchen’s a stressful place to be minutes before a big holiday meal, but no one has a more nerve jangling job than the gravy maker. Or I guess I should say gravy makers, because there’s usually at least 2 or 3 hovering over the pan as it bubbles away on the stove. And of course there’s always a problem ~ why is it so pale, or lumpy, or greasy?? Or the worst problem of all…there’s not enough!

I love a make ahead gravy for so many reasons, not least of which is that you can prep (and eat) AS MUCH AS YOU WANT (!) and you can make it any time you want, even if you aren’t roasting any meat for drippings. 

Fresh apple cider lends a subtle hint of sweetness to this gravy which balances nicely with the savory flavors of browned onion and garlic, sage, and black pepper. The cider gives it a lovely golden color, too.

This cider and sage gravy is a simple recipe with an unexpected flavor profile, which is exactly the kind of recipe I love to share with you guys. 

How to make no-drippings gravy

• No drippings gravy means there’s no roasted bird or joint of meat around to provide flavorful drippings and browned bits as a base for the sauce.
• An alternative way to get that flavor is to sub in something else to create the critical browning ~ you can use vegetables and/or a simple mixture of flour and butter to create a roux.

How to boost the flavor of no drippings gravy

• The key to dripless gravy is to take your time browning your ingredients. Get them as brown as possible without burning. With each shade darker you go, you’ll intensify the flavor.
• Use a good quality chicken or beef broth.
• Often I’ll add a fortified dry wine like sherry, marsala or vermouth. In this case I use fresh apple cider. Hard cider would work well too.
• Fresh herbs like sage add a brightness you can’t get from dried.
• Be sure to taste before serving, often an extra dash of salt or pepper is needed. I’ll sometimes finish with a splash of Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, or lemon juice to wake up the flavor.
• A no drippings gravy also means you can make it ahead, and that’s good because it allows the flavor to develop and deepen.

How to cook with fresh sage

Sage is one of the best fall skewing herbs and it can add tons of character to your cooking right now.

• Sage has a beautiful earthy perfume, I can’t resist rubbing my fingers over the velvety leaves and drinking in that scent. It works really well with chicken, pork, and of course, lamb. Fresh sage features in my Homemade Chicken Apple Sausage, and I make a delicious Hard Cider Braised Pot Roast with lots of fresh sage.
• It adds a nice note to fall root veggies like carrots and parsnips, etc. (See my Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Browned Butter and Sage) It pairs perfectly with pumpkin and all other winter squash, andI love it in cream sauces and gratins. One of my favorite recipes on the blog is my Instant Pot Cheddar Risotto with Sage ~ it’s a super simple quick meal and the flavors are amazing.
• To use fresh sage remove any tough stem ends, and then either finely mince it, or stack the leaves, roll up like a cigar, and finely slice them into shreds. the fancy term is chiffonade, and it’s the same way you’d slice basil.
• Sage is one of the strongest and most pungent of all the herbs, so use a light hand with it at first. Some people find too much sage off-putting, but I can’t get enough!

What to serve with cider sage gravy

• roast chicken or fried chicken
• roast pork
• ham
• beef pot roast
• your favorite meatloaf or salisbury steak
• roasted or mashed potatoes
• biscuits
• stuffing
• try using it as a base for casseroles, pot pies, cottage pie, or shepherd’s pie

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4.91 from 22 votes

Make-Ahead Cider and Sage Gravy

Make-Ahead Cider and Sage Gravy ~ this easy no-drippings gravy is made for cozy fall dinners, and would be a stunning addition to a Thanksgiving table.make

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Yield 1 quart

Calories 64kcal

Author Sue Moran

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 cups finely diced onion about 1 small onion
• 1 large clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt or, to taste, depending on the salt levels in your stock
• 3 cups chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegetarian)
• 1 large handful sage leaves tied in a bundle, or about 1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh sage
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a heavy bottomed pan, and sautee the onions for about 20-25 minutes, over low-medium heat until they are soft and nicely browned. Take your time here and let them get nice color, it will result in great flavor later on.
• Add the garlic, and sautee for 1-2 minutes more.
• Add the rest of the butter to the pan, and while it is melting, slowly add the flour, stirring as you go to avoid lumps.
• Cook the roux for about 10-15 minutes, you're going to want to stir often, until it's a rich amber brown color, but not burnt!
• Slowly stir in the apple cider, Worcestershire sauce, and salt, and continue stirring until everything is smooth.
• Add the chicken stock and the sage, stir until everything is evenly incorporated, and gently bring the gravy to a simmer.
• Simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened. This gravy isn’t super thick, but it should definitely coat the back of a spoon.
• At this point, you have a couple options. If you are serving right away, remove the sage leaves (if you left them whole), and you can either serve the gravy as is, or strain first if you want a very smooth gravy.
• If you are making this gravy ahead, refrigerate and then re-heat and strain when you are ready to eat. That way, all the flavors can meld and infuse overnight.
• This recipe makes 1 quart of gravy.

Cook’s notes

Adapted from Rachael Ray.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is provided as a courtesy and although theviewfromgreatisland.com tries to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.