Classic Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy

by Michael McLaughlin
from Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving
(Simon & Schuster Source, 2001)
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Make-Ahead Tip: The stock for this classic Thanksgiving turkey can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated, or up to 3 months before and frozen. Or, it may be made while the turkey sits before roasting.—Michael McLaughlin

convert Ingredients
For the turkey stock
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 turkey wing drumettes (the meatiest part of the wing)
Turkey neck, heart, and gizzard (optional)
3 cups chopped yellow onion
2 cups chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
Stems from 1 bunch fresh parsley
2 fresh thyme sprigs or 2 teaspoons dried
2 bay leaves
8 cups low-sodium canned chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine, dry sherry or tawny Port
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the classic Thanksgiving turkey
1 fresh 12-pound turkey, neck, heart, and gizzard used to make turkey stock, liver reserved
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup low-sodium canned chicken broth
1/2 cup tawny Port
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 yellow onion, unpeeled, quartered
2 large carrots, unpeeled, coarsely chopped

For the turkey gravy
7 cups Turkey Stock, prepared using tawny Port
1/4 cup corn-starch (corn flour)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

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Method
Make the turkey stock
1. Warm the oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey parts well, turning once or twice, about 14 minutes. Stir in the vegetables and herbs. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot occasionally, about 15 minutes. (If making giblet gravy, remove the heart and gizzard at this point and reserve.)

2. Add the broth, wine, and salt and pepper to taste and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook for 35 minutes. Strain the stock, pouring it through a sieve into a large bowl. If using right away, spoon off the visible fat or pour into a fat separator. Otherwise, let cool for about 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Using a large spoon, remove the solid fat from the top of the stock and discard. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Make the Thanksgiving turkey
1. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours to take off the chill. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325°F (165°C).

2. Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry. Trim off and discard excess fat. Fold the wings underneath the back of the turkey to prevent their over browning. Lightly salt and pepper the turkey inside and out. Stuff and truss the turkey if desired.

3. 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 (muslin) and drape it over the turkey breast, leaving the drumsticks uncovered. Place the pan in the oven and roast the turkey for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the chicken broth, the remaining 6 tablespoons butter, the Port, and the peanut oil. Warm over 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 to roast, 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 (80°C), about 1 1/4 hours longer (for a total roasting time of about 3 hours). Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and cover it loosely with aluminum foil while you make the gravy.

Make the turkey gravy
1. To make the gravy, place the roasting pan with the pan juices and vegetables over 2 burners and turn the heat 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.

2. 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 liquid; discard the solids. Spoon off as much of the fat from the liquid as possible, or pour the liquid into a fat separator and pour off the liquid.

3. Transfer the liquid to a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and simmer briskly for 5 minutes. Finely chop the 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.

Recipe © 2001 Weldon Owen and Williams-Sonoma. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.