Gift of Simplicity: Butter & Herb Roasted Turkey and Gravy

Butter & Herb Roasted Turkey and Gravy

Turkey
1 (12 to 14-pound) Turkey, thawed if frozen
8 Tablespoons Butter, softened
2 Tablespoons Herbes de Provence spice blend
4 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
1-1/2 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon (Better Than Bouillon preferred)
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Onions, chopped
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
1 Celery Rib, chopped
4 Cups Chicken Broth, low sodium preferred
1 Cup White Wine

Herb Gravy
4 Tablespoons Butter
5-7 Tablespoons Flour (we prefer a thicker gravy and use 7 Tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme, minced
1/2 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary, finely minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Turkey:

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat to 325*. Scatter the Vegetables in the bottom of a large roasting pan, then add Chicken Broth and White Wine. Remove Turkey giblets and discard; rinse the Turkey well with cool water; pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place the Turkey in the roaster, tucking the wings under the back.

Using a fork, beat together the Butter, Herbes de Provence, Garlic, Lemon Zest, Bouillon, and Pepper until combined; divide in half. Using a wooden spoon handle, gently separate the skin from the breast meat. Spoon half of the Herb-Butter mixture under the Turkey skin, using your fingers to spread evenly. Rub any remaining butter over the drumsticks and inside the Turkey cavity.

Roast until internal temperature of the breast meat registers 165* and the thigh meat registers 170-175*, 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Let rest in pan for 30 minutes before carving, to allow juices to be re-absorbed.

For the Gravy:

Carefully strain the contents of the roasting pan into a large measuring cup. let the liquid settle so that the fat separates out, then skim off fat (if necessary, add enough water to measure 4 cups).

Melt the Butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add Flour and cook until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the strained juices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until desired thickness. Off heat, stir in Herbs and season to taste with Salt and Pepper. Carve Turkey and serve with Herb Gravy.

"The God of Harvest praise;

In loud Thanksgiving raise

Hand, heart, and voice:

The valleys laugh and sing;

Forests and mountains ring;

The plains their tribute bring;

The streams rejoice.

Yea, bless His holy name,

And joyous thanks proclaim

Through all the earth;

To glory in your lot

Is comely; but be not

God's benefits forgot

Amid your mirth.

The God of Harvest praise;

Hands, hearts, and voices raise

With sweet accord;

From field to garner throng,

Bearing your sheaves along,

And in your harvest song

Bless ye the Lord."

This is my favorite of all the Thanksgiving hymns in our hymnbook.

My favorite tune to put with it is "My Country 'Tis of Thee"

This has been my go-to recipe since it was first published in Cook's Country magazine in November of 2007. I recommend using a Butterball brand turkey, as it is consistently moist and, if you have a larger sized bird, the roasting times listed on the package are very acurate. This year we were hosting Thanksgiving for T's family--there were 21 of us. I used a bigger turkey--22.88 pounds, to be precise. I also tried brining my turkey, something I've never done before. I found this nifty little package at Costco (Urban Accents was the brand, I think), which not only had the herbed salt mixture for the brine, but also a heavy-duty extra-extra-extra-large zip-top bag for brining the trukey in and a smokey-paprika-pepper blend for roasting. So, on Monday night I brined the turkey overnight, following the directions on the package. Tuesday morning I rinsed off the brine, spread the Herb-Butter mixture under the skin (which I doubled, because the Turkey was so big), spread the herbs that came with the brine mix on the outside of the Turkey as the instructions said--all the while hoping that this Turkey wouldn't be too salty or too herb-y--and put it in the oven for 4 hours, 15 minutes as recommended on the Butterball label. The Turkey came out of the oven at 11:30, and my husband came home for lunch quite conveniently at 11:45. We enjoyed sampling the Turkey and found it to be just perfect and not too salty. I sliced it off the bone, put it in my roaster and poured some more chicken broth over it and refrigerated it. I then re-heated it in my roaster oven at 200* while we were at church on Thanksgiving morning.