Photo Credit: Elizabeth Newman
★★★★★
PREP TIME 45 minutes
COOK TIME 180 minutes
SERVES 10
(adjust proportions and cooking time for smaller quantities, eg turkey breast for two only)
This is my favourite Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe, it is my version of a mix of recipes found on the Internet and some good old aunt advice. I believe cooking is a very personal enticing experience and we should all experiment until we create the perfect recipe to match our taste!
If you wish to keep it classic, this is the recipe to turn to. The aroma of citrus, fresh herbs, and herbes de Provence give this turkey that traditional, beautiful flavour with a bit of a kick.
Stuffing the cavity of the bird with citrus, onion and fresh herbs perfumes the entire bird and keeps it super juicy.
If you want your turkey extra juicy and have some extra time, try dry brining the previous day (take all the necessary precautions to avoid food contamination).
Overall, this is a classic recipe you can't go wrong with for Thanksgiving, or any other chilly autumn evening!
Ingredients
• 1 14 pound/6.4 kg turkey, neck and giblets reserved
For the stuffing (or placed below the turkey if cooking in a cocotte/roasting pan):
• 1 orange (cut into wedges)
• 1 lemon (cut into wedges)
• 1 onion (cut into wedges)
• 3 Celery stalks
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 Granny smith apple
For the butter rub
• Lemon zest
• 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 6 fresh sage sprigs
• 6 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp fresh Thyme
• 4 minced cloves Garlic
• 7/+ tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
For the turkey & gravy
• 6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth (approximate amount)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Indispensable tools:
• 1 meat thermometer
Instructions
• Position the rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 500° F/260° C.
• Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the turkey on a rack set inside a large roasting pan. Place the apple, orange and lemon wedges, onion, celery and 2 sprigs of each fresh herb in the main turkey cavity. Tie the legs together to hold the shape of the turkey. Stir 2 tablespoons of butter, the herbes de Provence, oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of each the salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the butter melts. Rub and smear the butter mixture all over the turkey and especially between the turkey breast meat and skin. Place the turkey neck and giblets in roasting pan. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting.)
• Cover the turkey breast with foil brushed with oil to avoid sticking. You want to seal the meet, not burn it. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour 3 cups of broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh herbs to the pan. Roast the turkey for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the foil from the turkey, pour 1 more cup of broth into the pan. Continue roasting the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165/175 ° F, that is 74/79.4°C, or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer. Cooking times are typically 15 minutes per pound/500gr.
Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes while preparing the gravy.
• To make the gravy: Strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup, discard the solids (or keep and blend a small part for a thicker gravy. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total. Melt the remaining butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the turkey with the gravy.
Finally:
• Pat yourself on the back for having read and cooked a recipe in English and
Enjoy your Thanksgiving turkey!
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