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Friday, December 9, 2011

Roast Turkey with Smoky Spice Rub & Classic Herb Gravy

Serves 12. Hands-on-time: 45 Minutes.
Total time 5 to 6 hours.

You won’t be able to fit all of the stuffing inside your turkey, but you will need the extra to feed a hungry crew. Transfer the leftovers to a medium baking dish, cover and refrigerate while the turkey cooks. When the turkey is done and resting, simply bake the surplus stuffing for a perfectly timed and warm holiday feast.

Ingredients:
•    2 carrots. Peeled and cut crosswise into thirds.
•    2 ribs celery. Cut crosswise into thirds
•    1 small white onion, peeled and quartered.
•    4 fresh thyme sprigs
•    2 fresh rosemary sprigs
•    2 fresh sage sprigs plus 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage, divided
•    1 12 to 14 lb turkey, defrosted and brought  to room temperature if frozen
•    2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
•    1 tbsp chile powder
•    1 tbsp ground cumin
•    ½ tbsp smoked paprika
•    1 tsp dried thyme
•    1 tsp sea salt
•    1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
•    1 recipe fig, apple & sage stuffing  recipe, warm or at room temperature
•    ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth. Divided, plus additional ½ cup as needed
•    1 tbsp potato starch

Instructions:
One:  Preheat oven to 425 F.  place carrots, celery, onion, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs and sage sprigs in the bottom of a large roasting pan; add 2 cups water. Fit roasting pan with a rack.

Two: Remove and discard turkey neck and giblets. Rinse turkey, pat dry and place, breast side up, on roasting rack.

Three: in a small bowl, combine oil, chile powder cumin, Paprika, dried thyme, salt and pepper.
Gently lift turkey skin covering each breast and rub a bit of chile powder mixture under skin. Rub remaining chile power mixture all over turkey’s skin.

Four: Fill neck cavity with fig, apple & sage stuffing; do not over-pack, as stuffing expands during cooking. Pull neck skin down over cavity opening. Firmly turn wings back to hold neck skin in place and stabilize turkey on roasting rack. (if necessary, cover neck skin with a small piece of foil). Fill body cavity with stuffing and cover opening with foil; do not over-pack. Transfer remaining stuffing to a medium baking dish, cover and refrigerate.

Five: Transfer turkey to oven and bake for 30 minutes; reduce temperature to 325 F and bake for 1 h our. Add 2 cups water to pan, loosely cover turkey with foil and bake for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer registers 165 F When inserted in meatiest part of thigh, thickest part of breast and center of stuffing in body cavity. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and set aside for 30 minutes.

Six: increase oven temperature to 400 F; add ½ cup broth to remaining stuffing in baking dish. Note: stuffing should be uniformly moist but not wet. If needed, add additional ½ cup broth.) Cover with foil. Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes; remove foil and bake until top is lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Seven: meanwhile, prepare gravy; set a fine mesh strainer over top of a fat separator or 4 cup measure. Pour turkey pan juices through strainer. Discard solids and let fat rise to top; pour fat off with fat separator or carefully skim off with a spoon. (Tip: If using a measuring cup, freeze strained pan juices for 15 to 20 minutes to solidify fat, and then skim off with spoon). Pan juices should be reduced to about 2 cups; add ¼ cup broth, or additional as needed, to make 2-1/2 cups total of pan juice mixture. Pour into a small saucepan, cover and bring to a boil on high heat; reduce to medium low. In a small bowl or cup, whisk potato starch with 2 tbsp water until smooth; add to saucepan and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in chopped sage and transfer to a serving dish.

Eight: Remove and discard skin from turkey. Carve and serve with gravy.

Nutritional Facts:
This turkey, along with its simple gravy, ranks among the healthiest holiday dishes you’re likely to find. The moist, juicy meat supplies 29 g of lean protein as well as 40% of your daily selenium. Eating turkey is an ideal way to get your share of this thyroid-supporting, inflammation-fighting mineral because very little is lost during the roasting process.



1 comment:

  1. came in through bloggers...n wow...the roasted turkey looks so delicious....loved the gravy too.....happy to follow u here :-) do visit my space when u hav time :-)

    ReplyDelete