Recipe ingredients
- 1 13- to 14-pound turkey, neck, gizzard and heart reserved for Gravy Base
- 9 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups, or more, canned low-salt chicken broth
- 1/2 cup tawny Port
- 1 cup water
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
- Gravy Base
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Recipe method
- Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325F. Pat turkey dry.
- Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Rub turkey breast with 2 tablespoons butter.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold 2-foot-square piece of cheesecloth in half twice, forming 12-inch square.
- Dip cloth into water. Squeeze out excess moisture. Drape cloth over turkey breast, tucking cloth under at sides. Roast 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 cups broth, Port and 4 tablespoons butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until butter melts. Baste turkey with 3/4 cup Port mixture.
- Roast turkey 1 hour 10 minutes, basting twice with remaining Port mixture.
- Add water, onion, carrot and apple to roasting pan. Stir to coat vegetables with pan juices.
- Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast 20 minutes. Remove cheesecloth.
- Roast turkey until skin browns and meat thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180F, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 50 minutes.
- Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil. Place roasting pan over medium-high heat.
- Bring pan juices and vegetables to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add Gravy Base and boil uncovered 5 minutes.
- Scrape mixture into strainer set over large measuring cup, pressing on solids with back of spoon. Spoon fat off top of pan juices.
- Add enough additional broth to cup to measure 3 cups liquid if necessary, or transfer pan juices to saucepan and boil until reduced to 3 cups if necessary.
- Bring pan juices to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Mix 3 tablespoons butter and flour in small bowl to form paste.
- Add paste to pan juices. Bring to boil, whisking constantly. Boil until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve turkey, passing gravy separately.
Other thanksgiving recipes:
Port basted roast turkey with gravy recipe
|
