Trust America's Test Kitchen to Give You the Best Make-Ahead Gravy

By Emily Cappiello
America's Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen

We all know how hectic holiday time can get, especially if you're the one planning a meal for the entirety of your extended family, but this make-ahead gravy hack can take one thing off your (very full) plate for Thanksgiving and beyond. From the Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook ($18) by the editors of America's Test Kitchen, this gravy is delicious and better yet, if it stays frozen, can be made up to a month in advance. How's that for prep work?

America's Test Kitchen

Turkey Gravy

Cook Time30 minutes
Yield2 quarts

From The Complete Make Ahead Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

    • 6 turkey thighs, trimmed
    • 2 carrots, chopped
    • 2 celery ribs, chopped
    • 2 onions, chopped
    • 1 garlic head, outer papery skins removed and top third of head cut off and discarded
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 10 cups chicken broth, plus extra as needed
    • 2 cups dry white wine
    • 12 sprigs fresh thyme
    • Unsalted butter, as needed
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • Salt and pepper

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450°F. Toss turkey, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and oil together in large roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

    2. Transfer roasted turkey mixture to Dutch oven. Add broth, wine, and thyme sprigs and bring to boil over medium-high heat, skimming as needed. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until reduced to 8 cups, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into large container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids.

    3. Slowly whisk in reserved broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until gravy is very thick, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    Notes

    The beauty of this recipe is that it can be made weeks in advance and frozen long before you've brought home your holiday bird. You can substitute nine turkey wings, separated at the joints, for the turkey thighs in this recipe. Other things to note:
    • Broth, prepared through step 2, can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month; if frozen, thaw completely in refrigerator before continuing with step 3.
    • Alternatively, gravy can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; to reheat, bring to gentle simmer, adjusting consistency with hot water as needed.
      • Cook time is 30 active minutes, but total time is four hours.