“This is my approach for an easy Thanksgiving turkey. I spend the rest of my time bringing lots of flavor to the side dishes.”
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 5 hr 35 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 17-pound whole fresh turkey, rinsed well and patted dry
- 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 large stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large onions, quartered
- 4 cups homemade chicken stock, plus more if needed for gravy
- Turkey neck
- 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dry white wine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Make the turkey: Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
- Put the butter, sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and stuff with half each of the carrots, celery and onions; tie the legs together with twine. Rub the turkey with the herb butter and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Put the chicken stock in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
- Place the remaining vegetables in a large roasting pan. Put the turkey on top of the vegetables, breast-side up, put in the oven and roast until lightly golden, about 45 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the warm chicken stock every 15 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 160 degrees F, 2 to 2 1/4 hours longer. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to a baking sheet and tent loosely with foil, then let rest 20 minutes before slicing.
- Make the sage gravy: Strain the cooking liquid from the roasting pan into a medium saucepan (you should have about 4 cups; if not, add more stock to make 4 cups). Add the turkey neck and bring to a boil. Add the sage leaves, remove from the heat and let steep for 15 minutes; remove the sage leaves.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced. Whisk in the sage-infused stock and cook, whisking, until thickened and smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and the chopped sage. Serve with the turkey.