Day before for me as well. I use Diane Phillips recipe for ”Do-Ahead Gravy” and then add pan drippings the day of. I also make the mashed potatoes ahead of time. The only thing I want to have to fuss with right before the big meal are the homemade rolls.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.spokesman.com/stories/2006/nov/08/now-you-can-make-gravy-before-you-cook-the-turkey/%3Famp-content%3Damp

For turkey, we do pan juices (it starts with a bottle of white wine over the top, so there's plenty enough juice and not the stuck on brown bits)., but when there's gravy to be made, I'll make the base ahead, too, from stock, and add drippings as they come. An aunt always made gravy as the bird was resting but the process took over the whole kitchen and put back dinnertime. I'm big on hot food, so try to avoid needing the hot gravy to warm up the rest of the dinner. BTW, I don't doubt Gardengal's successes! I just never learned how to do the timing since my example was as I said above.

I have to admit that last minute gravy success with me does involve other bodies :-) Someone is dishing up or finishing/garnishing the sides while someone else is carving, leaving me to do the gravy. And since I've already made stock from cooking the giblets earlier, the last minute gravy making process is rarely more than 15 minutes start to finish. Maybe even less time than it takes to carve, so no real delays. Everything on the table at the same time.

I use the same method as Gardengal48. Except my mother always made the gravy with milk which is probably a regional thing. Take the turkey out of the pan, pour off the more egregious fat, put the pan on the burner with a handful of flour. One minute later you've got a roux, add milk and the giblets and five more minutes, you've got gravy. Turkey is still resting...

What holds up our dinners (but not really) is the rolls - we make cinnamon and nobody ever minds those coming to the table slightly later, fresh as can be from the oven. I put them in as the turkey comes out.

I was having this conversation recently with a friend who mentioned Ina Garten's make-ahead gravy recipe. I looked it up and it does sound like a good contender.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/make-ahead-turkey-gravy-with-onions-and-sage-5486134

I have used the following version I got some years back from another food forum. Pretty tasty.

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy (Makes about 8 cups)

Makes about 8 cups. Can be made up to 3 months ahead and freeze in an airtight container. Thaw in fridge for 2 days. Reheat in a saucepan, whisking often.

About 3 pounds turkey wings, thighs and/or legs
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1 cup water
8 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 T. butter
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400.

Place turkey pieces in a single layer in roasting pan. Scatter onions over top. Roast 1 1/4 hours until browned. Transfer turkey and onions to large stock pot.

Add the water to roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on bottom. Add to stock pot. Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate remaining 2 cups), the carrot and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours.

Remove turkey to cutting board. When cool, pull off skin and meat. Discard skin; save meat for another use.

Strain broth into a 3-qt saucepan, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables; skim fat off broth and discard (if time permits, refrigerate broth overnight to make fat-skimming easier).

Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups broth until blended and smooth. Bring broth in pot to a gentle boil. Whisk in broth/flour mixture and boil 3 to 4 minutes to thicken gravy and remove floury taste. Stir in butter, salt and pepper. Serve, or pour into containers and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 6 months.
Makes 8 cups.

*Note: When the turkey is done on turkey day, drain off the fat from the pan, deglaze the pan with some broth or water and add all the goodness to your already prepared gravy.

I always make it last minute. I never had an issue with timing. I always get it all out at the same time. Gravy is easy and fast. I never considered making it ahead.......

I have NEVER made a successful gravy!

Around the time things are smelling great, and the last minute stuff is getting done....and people are coming into MY kitchen....and getting in the way!.......and offering to help at the last minute in a small kitchen.....and the kitchen is hot and I'm sweating after doing almost everything and they're out there watching football or whatev, I retreat! I'm done! You finish it! You carve! You serve! You make the gravy, and don't burn the buns! Sometimes I take a 15 minute walk before dinner!

This is why I like to have lasagna or crab for a holiday meal! Or cook it on the grill if the weather is right.

I think I've posted this here before but I still love it.

Anthony Bordain on The Splendid Table. Bolding mine.

Full interview here. Thanksgiving preparation and people pleasing with Anthony Bourdain | The Splendid Table

He is talking about his new book and how it will help us "survive" the holidays.
AB: For a professional, Thanksgiving is a three-day operation. You make the cranberry relish two days in advance. It only gets better. You don't struggle. We don't make gravy in the pan. That never works. You know, where you deglaze the pan with water or flour and, supposedly, you have some magical gravy. Who does that? You make a turkey stock, and then, maybe, you incorporate the drippings. You do that on the day before, perhaps. Again, it's something that improves by sitting and marrying up.

I make my mashed potatoes and gravy the day before. I use the Make Ahead Mashed Potato recipe by Cooks Illustrated. They are heavenly.

I am surprised that Anthony Bourdain was unable to make last minute gravy. Its not magic. It's simple.

Exactly as gardengirl said. The gravy is the last thing to be made and is done directly in the roasting pan after the meat has been removed. It might not work in a commercial setting but at home it’s easy. It always works. But you need to be imaginative and throw in wine, jam, fruit juice or whatever to taste as you go along. The chinois comes into play as it goes into the gravy boat. On the other hand, the cranberry sauce, bread sauce, stuffing and pigs in blankets are made far ahead and frozen. No one is allowed at my end of the kitchen. I issue an instruction to that effect and am even tempted to put hazard tape across the room.

I don't want to be standing over a hot stove stirring gravy and mashing potatoes at the same time. When I buy a whole turkey, I simmer the neck, vegetables, and thyme for the broth and stir it into the pan drippings. But this year I'm only buying a breast, which you can't get gravy out of, so I'm also buying turkey thighs for gravy. I figured I might as well make the gravy the day before since I'll have the thighs on hand.

The "bits" for the gravy simmer with aromatics the whole time the turkey is in the oven. Strain that and drain excess grease from pan....make a roux in the roasting pan....and add the stuff from the simmered "bits"...poof! Gravy!!

What I shudder at is when I see people in the store loading jars of premade gravy into their cart!! and I know some who make gravy from cream of chicken soup......EWWW!

And mashed potatoes can be made hours ahead and zapped very successfully!

I think it depends on family dynamics. If hosting in your own kichen the dance is familiar and pretty stressless. We have hosted so many times over the years that it has become an easy meal to prepare. We are a good team. DH makes the gravy when the bird comes out to rest. Timing is everything. I even set my table the day before or two days with the serving stack of vessels deciding what foods/sides might go into where.

The many years visiting my parents were always an insane zoo. We prepped as much as possible at home here, then traveled the morning of. (less trafic). Two cranberry sauces, a couple salads, pomegranite dressing, mixed veg and roots cut and marinating that just needs to go on a sheet pan. Two pies made. My dressing/stuffing.

Around 2015 we started making the gravy ahead. Only when traveling. I could usually get a few turkey wings and a leg to make stock and gravy from the butcher. One year i had to purchase the smallest quality turkey i could find and butcher for the wings and legs myself for stock. Roasted the breast as well to have much better bird slices than mom's giant dry butterball. Dry under-seasoned dressing/stuffing. Watery over-cooked under-seasoned, (no seasoning), beans and sweet potatoes....

If a past thanksgiving was ever a struggle, consider the do-aheads. Not everyone has a sympathetic family. Often sit back and wait while visiting and watching a ball game. If you enjoy the 'dance' that is different. My family can't cook, don't cook. I enjoy the dance and only get a good meal if i make it. Trying to prep/cook in my mothers kitchen, yikes. 6-8 family members in the kitchen built for one or two. Sister resting on the counter with a glass of wine talking non-stop about nothing----in front of the sink, then in front of the prep'chopping area. No clue about focus and timing. Clue-less about the kichen triangle efficiency.

Bourdain was speaking about just that. When he stopped working in restaurants, he had a wack cast of characters at his home for Thanksgivings. His experience cooking for 2-300 in a restaurant setting bled over into a home meal. Do-aheads meld/infuse flavors. Like a next day chili or lasagna. He could easily make a variety of sauces on the fly. I have no doubt his thanksgiving gravy made ahead was nothing but amazing having had his meals at LesHalles.

I made my stock last night and a big batch of miropoix for my dressing/stuffing. Now in the freezer. Not necessary if we stay home but i had the veg needing a plan like leek tops and an abundance of celery and carrots, onions, shallots.

Not sure yet about traveling but if my parents need help, turning 93 and 92 this week, we have an easy thanksgiving if they want/need us. My do-aheads will make it a bit easier. We have been taking turns visiting. My sister just left. My brother visited last month. We spent a week a few months ago. Dad just might be sick of us. 😜

Linda, I get the same shudders.

Agree with the ease/success of making mashed potatoes ahead.

I always make the gravy last as well. Highly seasoned strained pan drippings, skimmed, and stock (made from the neck, wingtips, giblets and bay leaf) plus some cornstarch, heated to boiling and done. Stock simmers for a few hours while turkey cooks.

Yes, lots of people make things ahead, especially if they have a lot of people coming. My homemade gravy, cranberries and mashed potatoes are already in the freezer. (I make stock in October using the backbone of a small turkey or chicken). Makes things less stressful on the day. I don‘t make everything, people bring sides and desserts. I make the turkey, dressing, potatoes, and cranberries. I also spatchcock and brine the turkey and hubby carves an hour before people arrive, and we put it in the warming oven (tightly covered with foil) drizzled with a thin gravy/broth mix to keep it moist. IMO its too stressful to be carving when people are arriving. And I need 30 minutes or so to go change clothes and freshen up before people arrive.

I would love to try roasting a spatchcocked turkey. Do you do it yourself or have a butcher cut it for you?

I got an offer of a free e-subscription to the Food Network magazine. Wow what a bunch of ads. I'd never buy the magazine.

But it's the Thanksgiving issue, and here's a page of make-ahead gravy.

And mashed potatoes can be made hours ahead and zapped very successfully!

There was an article I read recently that said for better health benefits.... it increases the amount of resistant starch. Things like potatoes, rice and pasta should be cooked, cooled then reheated. That certainly makes a good argument for always cooking enough for leftovers which I've always done.

I made mine yesterday. I do it ahead because the recipe I use is Ina Garten's with caramelized onions and cognac. I always triple or quadruple the batch so it takes me 2-3 hours to fully caramelize the onions on low heat, which isn't something I want to do on Thanksgiving.