Thanksgiving Recipes: Turkey and Gravy

(Not a turkey, but close enough?)

Here it is: the main event.

Cooking your first turkey can be an intimidating prospect. Mom makes it look soooo hard, doesn’t she? But it couldn’t be easier- I think it’s all just a ploy to get out of doing the dishes.

If you’ve got the dough, invest in a non-medicated free range turkey. You can order these ahead of time from a local butcher. If you live in the Vancouver area, Famous Foods, Capers and Choices are all good locations if you don’t have a local butcher. By far, Famous Foods has the best prices. Most of the local turkeys will come from J.D. Farms in the Fraser Valley, which is a great operation run by a decent guy. Very good quality. They have a handy little search for a store near you tool too. Expect to pay around $40-$50, or $20-30 for a cheap 2-headed, 3-winged Butterball. Yech.

As far as size goes, you want to account for about 1 to 1.5 pounds of turkey per person, and don’t worry- you’ll still have plenty of left overs. Turkey soup, turkey pot pie, turkey sandwiches, turkey fajitas, turkey a la king, turkey…

Keep reading for the recipe and play by play.

How to Cook a Turkey

1 Turkey

4 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp chopped fresh tyme

3 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

_____________

2 Tbsp flour

cold water

If you’ve got a frozen turkey, take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge a day ahead of time. Make sure you defrost thoroughly. If you’ve got a fresh one, you’re good to go. Make sure the organs and neck are removed from the cavity (they are often trussed up in a bag for you.) Pluck any remaining feathers and ensure the turkey is clean.

Preheat the oven to 450 and place a rack in the bottom of a big turkey roasting pan.

In a small bowl, cream together the butter and herbs. Put your turkey on a work surface with the breast up and gently tease the skin away from the breast by inserting your hand and separating it. Stuff the butter between the breast meat and skin.

Stuff your stuffing into the cavity, using the neck space for overflow if you need it. If you want, you can either sew the skin closed over the stuffing, or thread bamboo skewers through to seal the skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.

Get someone to help you with this next part if you can. Drizzle olive oil over the skin of the turkey and sprinkle with salt and pepper, starting with the back or underside first, then finishing with the breast side up. Place in the pan breast side up.

Place your turkey in the middle of the oven, uncovered, close the door and then immediately turn it down to 350. This sears in the juices without burning.

The rule of thumb is to cook for 20-25 minutes per pound with a stuffed turkey. After an hour or so, begin basting with the juices so you have an excuse to check on it and smell it along the way.

To test for doneness, insert a meat thermometer into the breast meat, avoiding the bone. Once the breast meat registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit, remove it from the oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes tented with foil (but not covered completely or sealed with a lid).

Get someone to carve the fucker while you make gravy.

To make gravy

Simply place the roasting pan over a medium low burner until the drippings simmer. If you’re using a non medicated free range turkey, you shouldn’t have to do any straining or separating. If the drippings are really fatty, separate some of the fat off before simmering.

Mix a couple of tablespoons of regular flour with some cold water in a jar. Shake vigorously until smooth, (you want it to be somewhere between glue and water, so add water in batches until you get the right consistency) then add slowly to the simmering pan while whisking. This will thicken it and give it that nice gravy colour. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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