Roast Turkey

Roast Turkey

Thanksgiving dinner has always been my favorite family holiday dinner. We’d all gather and eat too much food, drink too much wine and tell too many stories, at too loud of a volume. 

Dad would always anchor the table by the mirror and the rest of us would all squeeze in as best we could. Uncle Joe would express absurdities and Aunt Ginny was ... well ... Aunt Ginny was Aunt Ginny! She gets more entertaining with each Miller Lite. Pass the gravy!

1 onion

1 stick of butter at room temp

3 tbs. fresh parsley chopped + 3 whole sprigs

1 tbs. chopped sage + 3 whole sprigs

1 tbs. thyme

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground white pepper

1 18 lb. turkey

3-4 cups chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

flour for gravy

Preparation

Place the giblets in a small saucepan and cover with water. Cut the onion in half and add it to the pan. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for an hour. Remove the giblets, let them cool and chop them. Save them for the gravy. Allow the broth to cool and save it for the gravy as well.

Pre heat the oven to 325º. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Place about 3 tbs. of butter under the skin over the breast meat. Place the whole parsley sprigs and sage sprigs in the cavity along with 4 shallot halves. Tuck the wing tips under and tie the legs together. Rub about 4 tbs. of butter all over the turkey. Cover the breast area with foil. 

Roast the turkey for 30 minutes and then baste it with 1/2 cup of the broth. Roast the turkey for another 1-1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes with more chicken broth. Remove the foil. Continue to roast until golden brown and a thermometer reads 180º when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Total time between 4 to 5 hours. Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent it loosely with foil. Let it rest at least 20 minutes.

For the gravy, place the roasting pan on the stove over medium high heat. With a wooden spoon, stir to loosen up anything that stuck to the pan. Add the chopped giblets, the thyme, chopped sage and chopped parsley. Stir until everything is sizzling. 

Start adding flour to the sizzling fat. Add enough flour to make a thin paste slurry. Stir and cook the flour mixture for five minutes. Add the giblet broth and the wine and stir. Start adding chicken broth, a little at a time, to thin out the gravy. Once the gravy is the right thickness, let it boil for another minute to make sure it isn’t too thick. Pour it into gravy bowls.

Serving

Turkey should be piled on the plate, both white and dark meat, next to the dressing, rutabagas, potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes and cranberries. Pass the gravy!

Don’t forget the fresh, homemade bread with butter. For the wine, I like Montepulciano dʼAbruzzo. For dessert, you want both pumpkin and apple pie. Ring the dinner bell.