Make the perfect roast turkey, gravy
Gannett News Service
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"After trying every turkey roasting method under the sun, this is the one I come back to, and the one I always teach at my cooking classes and use in my magazine articles," says cooking teacher and food writer Rick Rodgers in the new edition of his classic cookbook, "Thanksgiving 101."
Rodgers says his method is especially useful with organic or heritage turkeys, which can be leaner than mass-produced birds. Instructions are for an average-sized 18-pound turkey, but they can expand or reduce depending on the size of your bird. Figure 1 pound of turkey per person.
ROAST TURKEY AND GRAVY
Position a rack in the lowest part of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Reserve the turkey neck and giblets to use in gravy or stock. (These are sometimes removed by the processor, so don't worry if they aren't present.)
Pull out the pad of yellow fat (if present) on both sides of the tail and reserve. If you wish, rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. Pat the skin dry. Turn the turkey on its breast. Loosely fill the neck cavity with stuffing.
Using a thin wooden or metal skewer, pin the turkey's neck skin to the back. Fold the turkey's wings akimbo behind the back (the tips will rest behind the turkey's "shoulders") or tie them to the body with kitchen string.
Loosely fill the large body cavity with stuffing. Loosely cover the exposed stuffing with a piece of aluminum foil. Place any remaining stuffing in a lightly buttered casserole, cover and refrigerate to bake as a side dish. Place the drumsticks in the "hock lock" (some turkeys have a plastic piece inserted for this purpose) or tie together with string.
Rub the turkey all over with the softened butter. Season with the salt and pepper. Tightly cover the breast area with aluminum foil. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Place the reserved fat in the pan - it will melt during roasting and add to the drippings. Pour 2 cups of the stock into the bottom of the pan.
Roast the turkey, basting all over every 45 minutes with the juices from the bottom of the pan (lift up the foil to reach the breast area), until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh (but not touching a bone) reads 180 degrees and the stuffing is at least 160 degrees — about four and one-half hours. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add broth to moisten them, about 1 and one-half cups at a time.
Remove the foil during the last hour to allow the skin to brown.
Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter and let it stand for at least 20 minutes before carving. Increase the oven temperature to 350. Drizzle one-half cup stock over the stuffing in the casserole, cover and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a heatproof glass bowl, measuring cup, or fat separator. Let stand for five minutes; then skim off and reserve the clear yellow fat that rises to the top. Measure three-fourths cup fat, adding melted butter, if needed. Add enough turkey stock or chicken broth to the skimmed drippings to make 8 cups total.
Place the roasting pan over two stove burners on low heat and add the turkey fat.
Whisk in the flour, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and cook until lightly browned, about two minutes. Whisk in the stock and the optional alcohol.
Cook, whisking often, until the gravy has thickened and no trace or raw flour flavor remains, about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the gravy to a warmed gravy boat, straining the gravy, if desired, through a wire sieve.
Makes 18 servings
Source: "Thanksgiving 101" by Rick Rodgers
