MAKES 2 CUPS
Gravy pairs so well with mashed potatoes it tastes like a combo that is meant to be. It’s like the marriage of chocolate and peanut butter or salsa and tacos. Gravy amplifies the taste and creaminess of the potatoes and will add a boost of flavor to everything else on a holiday plate. The trick is to make it so that it is perfectly balanced. This Shiitake Holiday Gravy is a special variation we made just for Victoria, who doesn’t like her gravy too oily, salty, or heavy. It is delicate and delicious, packed with flavor and smooth as can be. Plus it is high in protein. Victoria requests it every Thanksgiving now and always goes back for seconds!
1 tsp. grape-seed oil
1 cup minced shiitake mushrooms
2 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. soy sauce
4 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. garbanzo bean flour
2 cups water
1 In a small saucepan, heat the grape-seed oil over medium heat and toss in the minced shiitake mushrooms. Sauté, stirring, for 2–3 minutes, or until tender.
2 Stir in ½ tsp. soy sauce and turn off the heat. Set the mushrooms aside.
3 Pour the olive oil and garbanzo bean flour into a small pot and cook, stirring continuously, for 1–2 minutes.
4 Quickly stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce — you must work fast, or the mixture will stick — then stir in the water. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5–10 minutes, or until it thickens to a gravy consistency.
5 Turn off the heat when you have reached desired thickness. Stir in the mushrooms.
6 Serve over warm mashed potatoes and stuffing.