The flavor in this Herb-Roasted Turkey recipe comes primarily from the mix of fresh herbs and a bit of butter. Maria also gave us tips for making her Simple Traditional Pan Gravy, a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving feast.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 3 hours
Stand: 30 minutes
Makes 30 servings
Ingredients:
1 (12–15 pound) fresh or frozen turkey, thawed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
6 large sage leaves
6 large flat-leaf parsley sprigs
3 large thyme sprigs
3 fresh or dried bay leaves
1/2 medium onion
1 garlic clove, halved
2 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450º.
2. Remove and discard the neck and giblets. Rinse the turkey under cold water; dry.
3. Gently separate the skin from the breast of the turkey with your hands. Rub the unsalted butter evenly over both breasts. Then pat the skin back into place.
4. Season the cavity of the turkey generously with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
5. Place the sage leaves, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, onion, and garlic clove into the cavity of the turkey. Tie the legs tightly together with a piece of kitchen twine.
6. Season the skin of the turkey on the top and bottom with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Then, tuck the wing tips under the breast of the turkey, and place it in a wire rack in a roasting pan along with the chicken broth.
7. Place the turkey on the bottom rack of the preheated oven and roast it for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 325º and continue to roast
the turkey for 2 1/2 hours, basting it every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165º when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh of the turkey, away from the bone. Cover the bird loosely with foil. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise while standing.
8. Allow the turkey to rest for 30–40 minutes before transferring to a platter and carving it. Then use the pan juices to make Maria’s easy gravy. (Serving size: 6 ounces turkey)
Simple Traditional Pan Gravy: Start by pouring the juices from the roasting pan in which the turkey was cooked into a bowl, and skim off the fat. Set the bowl aside. Add 1 cup dry white wine to the roasting pan and bring it to a boil. Stir the wine to release the caramelized bits from the pan. Reduce the wine until the pan is almost dry, then add the skimmed juices back to the pan. If the juices are scant, supplement them with fat-free low-sodium chicken broth, as needed. Bring the mixture to a boil and then strain it into a saucepan; keep hot and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk, 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour into 1 cup water (there should be enough of the flour mixture to thicken 8 cups of gravy). Using a whisk, stir 1 cup of hot stock into the flour mixture until it is smooth. Add the thickened stock back into the remaining juices and whisk the mixture together while bringing it to a boil. Simmer the mixture for 15 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a gravy boat, and serve.
Nutrition:
Herb-Roasted Turkey (without Simple Traditional Pan Gravy): Calories 180 (22% from fat); Fat 4g (sat 2g, mono 1g, poly 1g); Cholesterol 114mg; Protein 33g; Carbohydrate 0g; Sugars 0g; Fiber 0g; Iron 2mg; Sodium 151mg; Calcium 23mg
Recipe by Maria Helm Sinskey
PHOTOGRAPH: ALEXANDRA ROWLEY
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