Slow-cooker turkey meatballs and gravy

These juicy, slow-cooker turkey meatballs can be served with mashed potatoes and cranberries for the full effect of Thanksgiving turkey and gravy with a fraction of the effort. Plus, they're ideal to make ahead of time: After their slow-braise, they hold well on warm for several hours. Even the lightly thickened gravy holds up well to long cooking -- just give it a good whisk before serving to smooth it out. Searing the meatballs delivers more flavor and helps them stay together while braising. (If you're in a hurry, brown them only on one side -- it's better to sear one side well than rush browning two.) The recipe calls for several dried herbs for punch, but it's fine to skip one or two and increase the others by a bit.