While it’s good to be thankful year-round, there’s nothing quite like the gratitude you experience when your table is surrounded by the ones you love most and it’s overflowing with all of your favorite family recipes. It’s quite a precious moment. To keep with the thought of tradition and heirloom, your main course needs to come from a special place, too. What could be better than The Original Thanksgiving Turkey? It’s juicy, flavorful, tender, and fairly simple to make. It even allows you to indulge in a savory, smooth gravy alongside its traditional goodness. Your heart will flutter as you cut into this tasty turkey, and you create a picture-perfect thankful occasion that you will cherish for years and years. You’ll be so grateful for The Original Thanksgiving Turkey, for more reasons than one!
Ingredients
For the turkey:
- 1 (12-15-pound) turkey, thawed
- kosher salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 medium carrot, cut into 3 pieces
- 2 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 sprig plus 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 sprig plus 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 sprig plus 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to taste
For the gravy:
- 2-3 cups turkey or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- kosher salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Place a rack in a large roasting pan.
Step 3 –Pat the thawed turkey dry with paper towels.
Step 4 –Discard the innards of the turkey.
Step 5 –Place the turkey on the rack in the roasting pan and lightly sprinkle with the salt and the pepper to taste.
Step 6 –Rub the inside of the cavity in the turkey with more of the salt and add the carrot, the celery, the onion, 1 sprig of the rosemary, 1 sprig of the thyme, and 1 sprig of the sage.
Step 7 –Tuck the wings under the bird and tie the drumsticks together with kitchen twine.
Step 8 –In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Step 9 –Add the remaining rosemary, the remaining thyme, and the remaining sage to the melted butter and bring to a simmer.
Step 10 –Brush the turkey with the butter and herb mixture.
Step 11 –Place the herb-coated turkey in the oven and roast, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
Step 12 –Carefully place a foil tent over the turkey and continue roasting, basking every 20-30 minutes, until an instant thermometer inserted in the breast meat registers 156-160 degrees F and about 170 degrees F in the thickest part of the thigh, ensuring not to touch bone, about 1 hour-1 hour 30 minutes.
Step 13 –Transfer the turkey to a platter and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
Step 14 –While the turkey rests, pour the pan turkey drippings into a gravy separator and let stand until the fat rises to the top, about 2 minutes.
Step 15 –In a cup or a bowl, pour the defatted broth.
Step 16 –Set the defatted broth aside and measure 1/2 cup of the fat. If there isn’t 1/2 cup of fat, add butter to make 1/2 cup.
Step 17 –Pour the fat into a saucepan and heat it over medium-low heat.
Step 18 –Add the flour to the hot fat and cook until it becomes a roux, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes.
Step 19 –Whisk in the reserved defatted broth along with 2 cups of the chicken stock.
Step 20 –Continue cooking the roux, constantly whisking, until the gravy is thickened. Add more stock to thin the gravy as desired.
Step 21 –Taste the gravy and season with the salt and the pepper as needed.
Step 22 –Strain the gravy, if desired.
Step 23 –Pour the gravy into a gravy boat or serving bowl.
Step 24 –Serve the turkey with the gravy.
