Make Ahead Thanksgiving Turkey Gravy

One of the major reasons people have trouble with Thanksgiving Dinner is that there is a lot to do in a short amount of time and people are limited to 4 burners and one oven. Why not prepare as much in advance so you won't have too much to do on that day? Making turkey gravy in advance is simple and saves so much time. Plus, your house gets to smell like Thanksgiving more than once during November.


Buy a bunch of turkey wings and necks. I am making this for my daughter's event so I used a dozen of each. You could make a 4th of this recipe. Spry a casserole dish with cooking spray and place the turkey pieces along with some carrots and quartered onions in the pan and drizzle with olive oil. Bake them at 400 degrees for an hour or until the are golden brown.


Dump them in a heavy pot and scrape the pan out to get any browned bits.


Add some celery and cover with chicken stock.


Add a bunch of fresh herbs such as thyme, bay leaves, rosemary and sage.

Cook this at a simmer for several hours until the meat is falling off the bones. Strain out all of the solids and return the liquid to the pan. Mix 6 tablespoons of flour in a jar with a cup of water. Shake the jar until the flour and water forms a slurry. Drizzle this mix into the boiling liquid whisking as you go. Cook at a slight boil until it begins to thicken. If any lumps form, just strain the gravy back through the sieve again. taste it for flavor. add some salt and pepper. Add some fresh chopped parsley. I made 8 quarts of this and froze it. Defrost it a couple days before Thanksgiving.

Comments

Anonymous said…
wish I had sniffer button on this computer!
brokenteepee said…
Did a certain furry somedog get the meat?
My niece and I both are living proof that this is the best turkey gravy in the world. I only make half the recipe and freeze it in one and two cup containers. Take out what you need for that meal. I don't know why I don't keep this in the freezer year round. You will never make another Thanksgiving gravy after this.
Anonymous said…
A tip that works for any bigger holiday!

Nova was playing a bit tough with Teodor just now but he got tired of it and bit her hard on the nose :-) Do You think that stopped her :-) :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.
What a great idea and this looks yummy! I can almost smell it!! :)
TARYTERRE said…
You are so-oo right. Making parts of your Turkey Day meal ahead really takes the pressure off. Once the hard work is behind you, you can relax and enjoy the company. The fresh herbs in your gravy really must make it savory. Can't wait to smell it. Take care.
Guillaume said…
Yum. I love a good gravy.
Barb said…
What a great idea!! I hate that last minute gravy making. I'm going to try your recipe.
Anonymous said…
This post right here is exactly why I have gotten interested in reading blogs and of course blogging myself. If I didn't read this blog I would have missed this most wonderful idea. We never have enough gravy at Thanksgiving. We will this year thanks to you.
Anonymous said…
Yes we are grateful for all the ideas we can make in advance so when the time comes we can also enjoy:) Thanks;)
Queenammer said…
I don't believe I have ever posted a comment on your blog before but I wanted to take a moment and say Thank you for sharing and keep up the awesome work! I love your blog!!! :D
Sounds delish! I love that you could put it in 2-cup containers to use for several meals (our family is small, so a big batch like that would last us several meals). Thanks!
Candace said…
OMG - I should have thought of this years ago! Thanks so much. We just recently discussed this dilemma of so much to do in one day and then it's gone in less than an hour - lol! I decided this year I would even cook the turkey the day before! I can't wait to try your gravy!!
Cheers!
Geneva said…
I'm visiting from Two Birdies and a B ... She said you had a good tutorial for Turkey Gravy and it looks like she was right. What a wonderful idea, and what a life saver for Thanksgiving Day! Thank you so much!
This is so smart! I'm here also from Two Birdies....

Thanks for the recipe,
Dee