As mentioned in the ingredients, start with 3-4 cups worth of leftover turkey and choose white, dark, or mixed meat. Rough chop it, dice it, or shred it all up, whatever you prefer, and return it to the refrigerator for later.

Start by prepping all your ingredients so you’ll be ready to go as soon as the roux is the right color. I like to small dice a yellow onion, 2 ribs of celery, a red and green bell pepper, 2 stalks of green onion, mince 3-4 cloves of garlic, and finely chop a ¼ cup of parsley and any other fresh herbs you use and set everything aside.

Slice 13oz andouille sausage into coins and some of those into halfmoons. Heat a large pot or Dutch-oven over medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of oil. Add the sliced sausage and sear it until nicely charred on both sides, about 7-8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and set aside.

In the same pot with the rendered sausage fat and oil, add ½ cup neutral oil and let it heat it up. Add ¾ cup all-purpose flour and stir constantly until it combines with the oil and you don’t see any dry flour.

Making the roux can take quite a while. You can keep the heat at medium-high or turn it down (I like to keep it about medium). This will take longer but you’ll have better control over not burning it. Keep stirring or whisking it until the roux becomes the color of milk chocolate or slightly darker. This can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to upwards of 40-50 minutes depending on the heat, your oil, and flour. I like to cook it to about milk chocolate color since it will continue to cook when you add vegetables.

Once the roux reaches the color you desire, lower the heat to low to medium-low and pour in the onion, celery, and bell peppers. Stir to combine the roux with the vegetables and this will cook them. Cook the vegetables in the roux until softened, for about 5-6 minutes.

Now add the garlic, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cayenne, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano (if using dried). Stir and cook a minute more. Slowly add some of the stock, stirring to break up the roux and vegetables and letting the roux absorb some of the liquid. Finish with the rest of the stock and add in the reserved sausage, chopped green onions, 2 bay leaves, fresh thyme and oregano (1 teaspoon if using fresh).

Bring the gumbo to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the gumbo to simmer for an hour, uncovered, and give it a stir occasionally.

If you make rice to serve with the gumbo (and you should), get that started while the gumbo is simmering.

In the last 15 minutes or so of simmering, add in the reserved turkey and most of the chopped parsley. At this time taste the gumbo and adjust for seasoning if you think it needs more salt or some more heat.

Once finished, turn the heat to the lowest setting to keep it warm and serve the gumbo either over rice or in a large bowl with a scoop of rice on top. Garnish with more parsley and enjoy with some sliced French bread or cornbread. Serve with filé powder on the side for those that would like to add it.