Roast
Turkey and Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 Turkey, unstuffed, thawed if frozen with giblets/neck removed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 small (or 1 large) onion
- 2 large carrots
- 2 large stalks celery
- ½ c butter
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic paste or garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried ground sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp onion powder
Preparation
1.
Preheat oven to 400° F. Peel garlic cloves and smash them open with
the flat side of a knife blade. Peel onions and carrots. Cut onions into large
chunks or wedges. Cut celery and carrots into 2-3 inch sticks. Set aside 2
pieces of each vegetable and two cloves of garlic. Use remaining veggies
layered on the bottom of a large roasting pan as a rack for the turkey.
2.
Rinse the turkey in cold running water and pat
dry with paper towels or clean kitchen towels. Remove any excess moisture on
the surface of the turkey. On a large cutting board, truss the turkey by
bending wings behind the back of the turkey and crossing them if possible.
3.
Stuff the veggies and garlic that you set aside
earlier into the cavity of the turkey. The cavity should not be full, as air
movement through the cavity will help it cook faster.
4.
Slice a small hole in the flap of ‘tail skin’ if
still attached to turkey. Cross the turkey legs over each other and pull tail
flap up over them, inserting the crossed legs into the hole you created. Place the trussed turkey in the roasting pan
on top of the bed of veggies.
5.
In a small mixing bowl combine butter and all
remaining spice ingredients. Rub about ¼- ½ of the butter mixture onto the surface of
the turkey and beneath the neck skin over the breast meat as well.
6.
Roast turkey for 1 hour at 400°F and then turn
oven temperature down to 300°F and continue roasting for 2-3 more hours
depending on size of turkey, basting/brushing with additional butter mixture
every 30 minutes. After 2 ½ hours total
cooking time you may begin testing the turkey for doneness. Both breast and leg
meat should reach 170° F. Usually you will need 12-15 minutes per pound of
turkey.
7.
If you don’t have a meat thermometer another way
to test for doneness is to wiggle the turkey leg. If the leg is loose and the
bone moves easily away from the meat, it is probably done. You can also check
by piercing the breast meat with the tip of a knife. If juices run clear, the
meat is done. Unfortunately this method can lead to loss of moisture in your
turkey if you cut into it too many times before it’s done.
8.
Remove
the turkey from the over and cover loosely with foil. Let turkey rest in
roaster for at least 30 minutes before carving to give the turkey juices time
to redistribute through the meat.
Gravy
Ingredients
- Drippings from Roast Turkey
- Chicken/Turkey stock or broth (optional)
- Flour
- Pepper
- Salt
Preparation
1.
Remove vegetable rack from roaster and use a
spoon to skim excess fat from the drippings. Place the roaster over a large
stove burner on medium high heat and bring to a boil.
2.
Depending on how much gravy you want to make or
how many people you are serving you may need or want to add chicken or turkey
stock or water to the roasting pan. Set aside 1/3 to 1 c of cold stock or water
before adding the rest to the roaster and returning it to a boil. Let the
drippings and stock boil and reduce for about 5 minutes.
3.
Combine 3 Tbs flour with ½ c cold or room
temperature stock and mix well to remove lumps. Add this to boiling drippings
and whisk until smooth and thickened. If gravy is not thick enough for your
liking, add 3 more tablespoons to an additional 1/3 c of stock and add this to
the boiling mixture. Continue this process until gravy reaches the desired
consistency. Taste and season with salt
and pepper if necessary.
Variations
1.
Try adding
sautéed onions, mushrooms or other vegetables to their gravy.
2.
Finely
chop the roasting rack onions and add them back to the gravy if desired.
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