Recipes

Rinse the turkey clean but do not pat dry. Place it in a roasting bag; sprinkle the turkey inside and out with herbed salt. Refrigerate for 18-24 hours.

Set oven rack on lowest position and preheat the oven to 325º F.

Rinse the turkey inside and out, now pat it dry.

Stir the chopped onion and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Divide this mixture between the main and neck cavities of the turkey.

Truss and place bird on a rack set in a large roasting pan. Spread butter all over the turkey. Place and reserved fat pads, neck, heart and gizzards in the pan; pour in 2 cups of Golden Turkey Stock*.

Roast for 45 minutes, then baste with pan juices. Continue to roast until a meat thermometer registers 165 to 170º F, basting every 45 minutes, and adding more stock or water if the pan becomes dry; also tent turkey loosely with foil if browning too quickly. Roast 3 to 3 ½ hours.

Transfer turkey to a platter, tent loosely with foil and let it rest 30-45 minutes. Reserve the pan juices for the gravy.

Pan gravy: Pull meat off neck and chop with gizzard and heart, reserving for gravy if desired.

Pour pan juices into an 8 cup measure. Spoon off fat and reserve ½ cup of the fat. Add enough stock to degrease the pan juices to measure 5 ½ cups total. Set pan juices aside.

Place roasting pan over two burners on medium heat. Add ½ cup reserved fat and shallots; sauté 1 minute. Whisk in flour. Cook until the roux is light brown, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes.

Whisk in the wine, stock mixture, mustard and fresh rosemary. Bring to a boil, whisking to blend. Boil until the gravy coats a spoon, about 3 minutes.

Add the neck, heart and gizzards, if desired. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey.

*Golden Turkey Stock

Bon Appetit, November 2008

4½ lbs. turkey wings, cut in ½

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 lg. carrot, chopped

1 lg. stalk celery, chopped

6 fresh Italian, flat-leaf, parsley sprigs

1 bay leaf

½ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. whole black peppercorns

Preheat oven to 400º F. Arrange wings in a large roasting pan. Roast until deep brown, turning once, about 2 hours. Transfer wings to a bowl.

Spoon 3 Tbsp. turkey fat from the roasting pan into a large soup pot (reserve roasting pan). Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pot and sauté over medium-high heat until the veggies are golden, about 20 minutes.

Add turkey wings to pot. Add 2 cups of water to the roasting pan; place over 2 burners and bring to a boil, scraping the brown bits up. Add liquid to the pot, then remaining ingredients and enough cold water to cover the wings by one inch.

Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low; simmer uncovered until stock is very flavorful and reduced to 7 ½-8 cups, about 2 ½ hours.

Strain the stock into a large bowl. Cool 1 hour, then chill until cold, about 3 hours. Spoon off any fat before using.

This can be made 3 days ahead or frozen several weeks before using.