Whether your family gathers around the table for lunch or dinner, everyone will be thankful for this delicious holiday dish.
Classic Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy
Serves: 8 to 10
Ingredients
- 1 (12-pound) fresh or thawed frozen turkey
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Giblet Gravy (recipe follows)
- Garnish: fresh sage, fresh oregano, persimmons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Spray rack of a roasting pan with cooking spray. Place rack in pan.
- Reserve turkey neck and giblets for Giblet Gravy. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Rub butter on outside of turkey. Tie legs together with butcher’s twine. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto turkey. Pour broth in roasting pan. Place turkey on prepared rack in pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°, about 2 hours and 15 minutes, loosely covering with foil during last 30 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Transfer turkey to a cutting board, and loosely cover with foil. Let stand for 20 minutes.
- Scrape browned bits from roasting pan; reserve 1 cup drippings and browned bits for Giblet Gravy.
- Transfer turkey to a serving platter. Serve with Giblet Gravy. Garnish with herbs and persimmons, if desired.
Giblet Gravy
Serves: About 2 cups
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- Turkey neck and giblets reserved from Classic Roast Turkey (recipe on page 26)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup pan drippings reserved from Classic Roast Turkey
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup water
- 1 hard-cooked egg, chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 4 minutes. Remove mixture from pan.
- Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey neck and giblets; cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add broth, scraping browned bits from bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon. Stir in onion mixture and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until neck and giblets are tender, about 45 minutes. Strain mixture, reserving 1 cup liquid and giblets. Finely chop giblets. Return 1 cup cooking liquid to pan; stir in 1 cup pan drippings from turkey.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and ¼ cup water; whisk into liquid in pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Stir in chopped giblets, egg, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. Keep warm over very low heat until serving.
