Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

This recipe seems to be getting good reviews, so I wanted to give it a try. Any recipe that I can make in advance is always a plus. I made mine about 5 days before Thanksgiving and froze it in ziploc freezer bags, I doubled my freezer bags for extra protection against leakage. My family and I really enjoyed it! I did not use the thyme, and I refrigerated the broth overnight, to make removing the surface fat easier, as suggested in the recipe. Then I thawed it in the refrigerator 2 days before Thanksgiving as recommened in the recipe, reheated it on medium heat and added about 6 tablespoons of my turkey drippings to the gravy after removing the fat, for a little extra flavor. It was a little thinner than I normally like my gravy to be, I will probably try a little more flour, to thicken it a little more next time I make this. But I loved the make-ahead convenience and it has a great flavor. I have added this to my favorite recipes.

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

 4 medium turkey wings, (about 3 pounds)

 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

 1 cup water

 8 cups chicken broth

 3/4 cup chopped carrot

 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (Dana's Note: I did not use the thyme)

 3/4 cup flour

 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

~Heat oven to 400 F. degrees. Have ready a large roasting pan.

~Arrange wings in a single layer pan; scatter onions over top. Roast 1-1/4 hours until the wings are browned.

~Put wings and onions in a 5 to 6 quart pot. Add water to roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on bottom. Add to pot. Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate remaining 2 cups), carrot and thyme.

~Bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1-1/2 hours.

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

~Strain broth into a 3-quart 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 and pepper. Serve or pour into containers; refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.

~Planning Tip: If frozen thaw 2 days in refrigerator. Reheat in saucepan, whisking often.

~Note: On Thanksgiving after the turkey is cooked and removed from the roasting pan, you can skim the fat off the pan drippings and add the drippings to the heated gravy.

Recipe Source: This is recipe comes from Woman's Day Magazine