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Make-Ahead Roast Turkey and Gravy

From

October/November 2011

Make-Ahead Roast Turkey and Gravy

Nearly every household in America spends Thanksgiving Day waiting and waiting and waiting for the turkey to come to temperature, and then someone in the family works at breakneck speed to whip up the gravy with the drippings. Looking for a less stressful approach, we took a cue from restaurants and cooked and carved the bird into quarters the day before. While the meat cooled, we made a fortified broth with the carcass to serve as the base of our gravy. Come Thanksgiving Day all we had to do was finish off the gravy and reheat the meat. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Serves 10 to 12

Check the label when you’re shopping for turkey. If there’s an ingredient list, the bird has been enhanced and will work in this recipe. If you prefer natural, unenhanced parts, we recommend brining. (Dissolve 1 cup of salt in 2 gallons of cold water. Submerge the turkey in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. Proceed with step 1 of Day 1, omitting the salt for seasoning.)

Ingredients

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