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Roast Turkey and Gravy with Apricot and Herb Stuffing

8 to 12 servings of turkey

Ingredients

6 tablespoons European-style butter (such as Keller's) at room temperature
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 12-14 pound turkey, neck and giblets reserved
2 cups chicken stock
1 & 1/3 cups dry white vermouth
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Apricot And Herb Stuffing (recipe below)

Method

Mix the first five ingredients in a bowl and keep at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and pull the skin away from the turkey. Using your hands, rub the butter mixture all over the meat under the skin. Season with salt and pepper. Place the giblets and 2 cups of the chicken stock around the turkey in the pan.

Roast the turkey for about 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 F. , and continue to cook until the internal temperature registers 175 F. on a meat thermometer. Baste about every 30 minutes. The cooking time should be about 3 & 1/2 hours.

When done, transfer the turkey to a platter and cover with foil. Allow to stand for 30 minutes.

To make the gravy, pour the pan juices into a cup, discarding the neck and the giblets. Spoon the fat from the surface of the juices and place the fat in a small saucepan.

Place the roasting pan across two burners of the stove over medium high heat. Add the vermouth, reserved liquid, and the remaining stock to the roasting pan and scrape the brown bits from the bottom. Add the bay leaf and cook about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the fat in the saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook about 3 minutes, or until the mixture is pale golden brown. Add the liquid from the roasting pan to the saucepan with the flour mixture, whisking all the time. Allow the gravy to reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt, pepper and the parsley. Discard the bay leaf.

Apricot and Herb Stuffing

Ingredients

4 tablespoons European-style butter (such as Keller's)
1 & 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
cups dried bread cubes
1/3 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Heat the butter in a large saute pan. Saute the onion and the garlic for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the celery and scallions and saute for 2 more minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the onion mixture together with all the remaining ingredients. Place the stuffing into a well-greased baking dish and bake for 1 hour.