Classic Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy Recipe

 Classic Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy Recipe

• Turkey:
• 1 12lbs fresh turkey, neck, heart, gizzard and liver reserved
• Salt, freshly ground pepper
• 8 teaspoon butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup canned chicken broth
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1 onion, unpeeled, chopped
• 2 large carrots, unpeeled, chopped
  
  gravy:
• 7 cups turkey stock
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Salt, freshly ground pepper

Time: 4 hour
Serves: 8

• Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for up to 1 hour to take off the chill.
  
  Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325° F. Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry. Trim off and discard the excess fat. Fold the wings underneath the back of the turkey to prevent over browning. Lightly salt and pepper the turkey inside and out. Truss the turkey.
  
  Place the turkey on a rack in a flameproof roasting pan. Spread 2 tablespoons of the butter over the turkey breast. Dampen an 18-inch square of doubled cheesecloth and drape it over the turkey breast, leaving the drumsticks uncovered. Place the turkey in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes.
  
  Meanwhile in a small sauce pan, combine the chicken broth, the remaining 6 tablespoons butter and the peanut oil. Warm over very low heat until the butter has melted.
  
  At the 30-minute mark, using a bulb baster, baste the turkey through the cheesecloth with some of the broth mixture. Continue roasting, basting every 20 minutes, for 1 1/4 hours. Add the onion and carrots to the roasting pan, stirring to coat them with the drippings. Continue to roast, basting the turkey every 30 minutes with the remaining broth mixture and then with the accumulated pan juices, until the vegetables are well-browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey thigh, away from the bone, registers 175° F., about 1 1/4 hours longer, for a total roasting time of about 3 hours.
  
  Transfer the turkey from the oven to a cutting board, cover with foil, and make the gravy.
  
  To make the giblet gravy, place the turkey's roasting pan with all its juices and the vegetables over two burners and turn the heat on both burners to medium-high. Add all but 1/4 cup of the turkey stock to the roasting pan and bring to a brisk simmer. Stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, about 5 minutes.
  
  Pour the contents of the pan through a sieve set over a large bowl, pressing hard on the vegetables with the back of a large spoon to extract all the liquids; discard the solids. Spoon off as much of the fat from the liquids as possible. (You also can use a fat separator.) Transfer the defatted liquids to a medium sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and simmer briskly for 5 minutes.
  
  Finely chop the cooked heart and gizzard reserved from making the turkey stock and the reserved uncooked liver. Reduce the heat to low and stir the giblets into the gravy. In a small bowl, stir the remaining 1/4 cup stock into the cornstarch to make a slurry. Gradually stir the slurry into the gravy. Cook until the gravy thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  
  Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

• For cooking time please see above.
• leave to cool before carving.
• Allow to cool a little before serving.
• Total cooking time 3 hours

• Serve with your choice of vegetables.
• Great for a Holiday Meal.
• Nice with White Wine.

Christmas Recipes Index