I'd prepare the "Make Ahead" gravy & then add the drippings brought from the roasting pan as you're rewarming the gravy.

Make Ahead Gravy

6 turkey drumsticks, thighs, or wings
reserved giblets
reserved neck
2 carrots, chopped coarse
1 head garlic, halved
2 ribs celery, chopped coarse
2 onions, chopped coarse
Vegetable oil spray
10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
12 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper

Makes about 2 quarts.

For more flavor, after roasting the chicken you can skim the drippings from the pan and add them to the gravy just before serving. Discard liver.

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place giblets, neck, drumsticks, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in roasting pan, spray with vegetable oil, and toss well. Roast, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

2. Transfer contents of roasting pan to Dutch oven. Add broth, wine, and thyme and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 1/2 hours. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into large container (discard solids), cover stock with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until fat congeals, at least 2 hours.

3. Using soup spoon, skim fat and reserve. Heat 1/2 cup fat in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until bubbling. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until honey colored, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

/tricia

Well if you didn't cook the turkey, chances are huge that you won't have access to the giblets. And a good part of thet aste of the gravy is the brown bits in the pan....which you won't have either.\
It all depends on how much trouble you want to go to....
Maximum trouble, superb results.....roast a turkey thigh and a couple of wings in the oven about 375....until done and fairly dark brown.
While that is roasting, cup up an onion and about 3 stalks of celery, leaves and all, add a handful of fresh parsley, a sage leaf and a sprig of thyme....simmer in a quart of chicken broth. When the stuff in the oven is done, add the thing and the wing to the simmering broth and deglaze the roasting pan with about half a cup of white wine and half a cup of water....pour the browned bits into the broth pot, cover and simmer about another hour. Strain and put the resulting broth in the refrig....feed the turkey meat on the wing and thigh to the cat....
When the fat on the broth has risen and the broth cooled, take off about 4 T fat....make up any shortfall with butter....heat in a sauce pan, add 4 T flour stir and cook a minute and slowly add the reserved turkey broth....simmer at least 3 minutes....adjust salt....et Voila! Gravy.

Or quick and dirty....whisk 2 T flour with every 2 cups of reserved turkey drippings....simmer for 3 to 5 minutes and call it gravy....if there isn't eough drippings, add boxed chicken broth.
Linda C

I'd probably ask the person to just dump the contents of the roasting pan into a container and being me the whole mess- that way she won't strain out any good drippings or skim off and toss the turkey fat. I prefer the roux method myself. Some clever person on another thread recommended putting the juices in a container and submerging something like a juice glass or shot glass to just under the surface- the fat pours in! and it's so much better than just trying to dump the fat off- the juices always come too that way. I made a 20 pounder on Thursday for work Thanksgiving, and this worked great. My turkey gave up plenty of fat for the gravy, but you can always add some butter too. Then do the roux to light or dark brown as you prefer, and add the juices and salt. Better to add the juices a little at a time so you don't get it too thin and have to mess with making extra roux separately, cooking it down, or making a cornstarch slurry. (Ask me how I know :-P)

I've made the make-ahead gravy the past two years & will make it again this coming week. Great flavor & so much easier than the last minute method. Thanks to woodie2 who posted it originally!

I did the make-ahead gravy last week. It smelled like Thanksgiving. Yum!!

Thanks for that recipe.

Just curious.....for those of you who make the "make ahead gravy"....what do you do with the drippings in the bottom or the roasting pan? and do you not deglaze the pan with all that wonderful stuff???

Oh MY! I never make the gravy cause everyone starts surrounding the kitchen during that last 1/2 hour or so, and I PANIC! I get so claustophobic, I just say YOU make it! And run outside! LOL
Thanks for all the responses to stir's request! Maybe I'll make it this year! LOL Nancy

I made the gravy last week too. There were so many drippings in the pan I used, that the gravy is medium brown. I only roast turkey breast so there isn't that much in the pan at Thanksgiving, but I could easily incorporate into the gravy. However, no one would notice.

To answer Linda, there is no way that I waste those drippings. I treat both pans as if I was going to make gravy on the spot but I just pour it off into the grease separator and deal with it after dinner. I make gravy out of it for the freezer the next day. I also take the neck and giblets on Thanksgiving morning and just bag them and freeze them for the next batch. I have a rotation going with the ingredients so nothing gets wasted.

I love this idea, it works out great for me.

I made the make-ahead gravy too!

My question to all of you is: I will be smoking my turkey this year - would you still pour the juices from the bird into the gravy for extra flavor? Or would you be too worried that it will make every dish that it is put on too smoky?

Here's Barefoot Contessa's
Homemade Gravy

2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style,, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:
5 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
25 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
3 cups

Ingredients

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Defatted turkey drippings plus chicken stock to make 2 cups, heated
1 tablespoon Cognac or brandy
1 tablespoon white wine, optional
1 tablespoon heavy cream, optional

Directions

In a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan, cook the butter and onions over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Don't rush this step; it makes all the difference when the onions are well-cooked.

Sprinkle the flour into the pan, whisk in, then add the salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock mixture and Cognac, and cook uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes until thickened. Add the wine and cream, if desired. Season, to taste, and serve.
Linda

stir_fryi,

I have the "perfect" solution for you or anyone who wants to have stress free foolproof gravy.

This is the gravy recipe that I have been using for years. It took a lot of stress off of me when I first started preparing Thanksgiving for my husband's family. You prepare most of it ahead and then just add the drippings at the end. Mine comes out great every time.

Planning tip: Can be made through step 4 one day ahead and refrigerated. (I even prepare the broth further(through step 2) in advance and freeze - then add the butter/flour mixture the day before Thanksgiving)

Perfect Gravy (Woman's Day 1994)

BROTH
*Turkey neck and giblets (including liver) (You could use turkey parts purchased from grocery store for this step if you don't have access to the neck and giblets)
*6 cups chicken broth (I use canned)
*2 large onions sliced
*1 cups sliced carrots
*1 cup dry white wine or water
*1/2 cup celery leaves
*6 cloves garlic peeled
*1 Bay leaf

6 Tablespoons butter @ room temp
3/4 cup all purpose flour
Turkey Drippings
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cut turkey neck and heart in half. Put into a large saucepan along with gizzard and remaining broth ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered for 1 1/2 hrs. Add liver and simmer for 30 mins longer.
2. Discard liver and giblets. Strain broth through colander/strainer into a large measuring cup, pressing vegetables to extract as much juice as possible. Discard vegetables. Add water to broth if needed to make 6 cups.
3. Mash butter and flour with a fork until blended to a paste.
4. Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in flour mixture, l chunk at a time, until blended.( I take the butter flousr mixture and add the broth to it in a jar to make it smooth and easier to blend into the broth) Whisk until thickened and boiling. Boil 3 minutes longer to cook out any floury taste.
5. After turkey is removed from roasting pan: Spoon fat off pan drippings and discard. Stir juices in pan(add up to 2 cups of water if juices have evaporated) scraping up brown bits on bottom of pan. Add no more than 2 cups to gravy. Heat over medium-low heat until hot. Season to taste(sometimes I add a little kitchen bouquet or gravy master for color or taste if needed)