Loading ...Smoked Paprika and Fennel Seed Roast Turkey with Onion Gravy
by Tom Douglas
from How to Cook a Turkey and All the Other Trimmings
(Taunton Press, 2007)
Serves 10 to 12, or 6 to 8 with leftovers
Be sure to use a flameproof roasting pan so it can go directly over the burner when it’s time to make the gravy. You can find pimentón, Spanish smoked paprika, in specialty stores or from online vendors.
convert Ingredients
For the fennel salt
3 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted in a small dry skillet over medium heat until very fragrant, then ground
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
For the smoked paprika and fennel seed butter
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted in a small dry skillet over medium heat until very fragrant, then ground
1 tablespoon sweet pimentón (buy it)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (save the stems for the turkey cavity)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the turkey
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large onion, thinly sliced
One 11-to-12-pound turkey, trimmed of excess fat
1 recipe Fennel Salt
6 cloves garlic, peeled
Zest of 1 lemon, removed in long strips with a vegetable peeler
4 large sprigs thyme, plus the stems from the chopped thyme above
For the onion gravy
7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 1/2 to 5 cups low-salt chicken broth, hot
Method
Make the fennel salt
1. Combine the salt, fennel, and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture for sprinkling on the turkey and transfer the rest to a couple of small, shallow dishes for passing at the table.
Make the smoked paprika and fennel seed butter
1. Combine the Smoked Paprika and Fennel Seed Butter ingredients in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside at room temperature (refrigerate if making ahead).
Make the turkey
1. Position a rack in the lowest part of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush a large flameproof roasting pan lightly with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Make a bed of the onions in the center of the pan.
2. Trim off the wingtips of the turkey at the first joint and, if already loose, trim the tail from the turkey. Remove the giblets (discard the liver) and neck and set them aside with the wingtips and tail for making the broth. Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Set the turkey on a work surface and loosen the skin over the breasts by sliding your hands under the skin.
3. Rub all of the paprika-fennel butter under the skin, smearing it over the breast. Brush the turkey skin all over with the remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the Fennel Salt all over the skin of the turkey (sprinkle a little inside the cavity, too). Place the garlic cloves, lemon zest, and thyme sprigs inside the cavity. If you like, tuck the legs into the tail flap (or tie them together loosely, if there is no flap).
4. Set the turkey, breast side up, on top of the onions in the roasting pan (there’s no need for a rack). Roast for 1 hour, and then baste the turkey with the drippings that have collected in the pan and rotate the pan. Continue to roast, basting every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of both thighs, away from the bone, reads 170°F (77°C), another 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (If the turkey is browning too much, tent it with foil.) Set the turkey on a large platter to rest, tented with foil, for about 20 minutes while you make the gravy.
Make the onion gravy
1. Set the roasting pan with the sliced onion and juices over medium-high heat. (It may need to straddle two burners, depending on your stove). With a wooden spoon, stir up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and continue stirring for a few minutes, allowing the onions to brown a little more.
2. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the sliced onion and juices and stir until the flour is well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Start adding the hot broth, 1 ladleful at a time, whisking out the lumps before you add more broth. Continue to add broth gradually, whisking each time until smooth, until you’ve added about 4 1/2 cups of broth. Add any juices that have collected on the platter around the turkey.
3. Lower the heat to medium or medium low and gently simmer the gravy, whisking occasionally, until it’s full-flavored and thickened, 3 to 10 minutes. If it seems too thick, add the remaining 1/2 cup broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve and then transfer to a gravy boat.
4. Carve the turkey. Pass the gravy boat and the remaining Fennel Salt at the table.
Recipe © 2007 by Taunton Press. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
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