Today, because it's nearly Thanksgiving, I think we should roast a turkey and make some gravy. My low-carb, gluten-free gravy is gorgeously flavored and thickened with apples and onions, and brightly scented with herbs. In other words, it's screamingly delicious. You'll want to sip it out of a mug.
The game-plan:
The day before Thanksgiving, brine the turkey. Here's my brine formula, along with step-by-step brining instructions. If you have your own, cherished brine recipe, go ahead and use it.
Now grab some Braeburn apples...
And core and quarter them.
A note about Braeburn apples. These red-streaked, yellow-green apples have a sweet, apple-y taste, and a fairly firm texture. If you can't find the variety at your local orchard or supermarket, just use 'Granny Smith' or 'Golden Delicious' apples.
Then peel a couple of onions...
And cut them into quarters. If your onions are particularly large, you can cut them into eighths.
Put the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, fold the wings under, and pat the skin dry with paper towels.
I hope you remembered to remove the giblets and neck from the bird before you brined it. You'll want these bits for stock.
True story: Twenty years ago, and before we met, my husband hosted a Thanksgiving dinner party. He put the turkey in the oven without removing the plastic bag of giblets. As the bird cooked, his guests noticed a horrid odor seeping out of the oven. Needless to say, no one ate the turkey. No one, that is, except for the intrepid host.
Stick a couple of apple and onion wedges into the large cavity of the bird...
And, if you have it, a sprig of fresh sage.
Scatter the remaining apple and onion segments all around the perimeter of the pan.
Brush the turkey with melted butter...
And give it a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, and thyme leaves.
Then crisscross the legs, and tie them in place with kitchen string (or stick them into the plastic clamp that came with your turkey).
Roast on the lower-middle rack of a preheated 325°F oven until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F. Transfer the turkey to a plate or platter, and keep it warm beneath a tent of aluminum foil.
Braeburn Apple Gravy
An hour or more before the turkey is done, put the giblets and neck in a saucepan, and add 3 Turkish bay leaves. Turkish bay leaves are infinitely more flavorful than their domestic kin.
Also add some salt, pepper, thyme leaves, cloves, and chopped up celery, carrot, and onion (exact amounts are giving in the copy-and-paste version below).
Bring the stock to a boil over a high flame. Then lower the heat, partially cover the pot, and let simmer quietly for 45 minutes.
Strain the stock...
And pour the liquid into the roasting pan.
Bring the works to a simmer, and mash the apples with a potato masher.
Then grab your stick blender, and puree the sauce! The apples and onions will thicken the liquid -- you won't need to add cornstarch or flour.
At this point, one of two thoughts is probably running through your head.
Thought #1: Kevin, you're a genius! You've created a low-carb, gluten-free gravy!
Thought #2: Kevin, you're an idiot! You forgot to degrease the sauce!
In truth, I never degrease my Thanksgiving gravy. Why? Because the fat contributes a ton of flavor.
Pour the gravy into a warmed pitcher...
Decorate the turkey platter...
And have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Here's a printer-friendly version of the above:
Roast Turkey with Braeburn Apple Gravy
Kevin Lee Jacobs (www.kevinleejacobs.com)
Makes enough for 10 servings, plus leftovers
For the turkey:
1 12-14lb turkey, brined in a salt and sugar solution
3 'Braeburn' (or 'Granny Smith' or 'Golden Delicious') apples, cored and quartered
2 onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 sprig fresh sage (optional)
1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) butter, melted
Seasonings: salt, freshly-ground pepper, fresh or dried thyme leaves
For the gravy:
The turkey neck and giblets
3 Turkish bay leaves
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped (optional)
10 whole cloves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (triple the amount for fresh, chopped leaves)
Preparing and roasting the turkey -- Brine the turkey 1 day in advance of roasting. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position; preheat oven to 325°F.
Put the bird on a rack in a roasting pan. Tuck 2 or 3 apple and onion wedges into the large cavity; add the (optional) sage. Scatter the remaining apples and onions all around the perimeter of the pan. Then brush the turkey with the melted butter, and sprinkle it generously with the salt, pepper, and thyme.
Roast until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F. Transfer the bird to a plate or platter, and keep it warm beneath a tent of aluminum foil.
Making the gravy -- Put the turkey neck and giblets in a medium saucepan. Add the bay leaves, onion, celery, carrot (optional), cloves and thyme. Cover with 1 quart of water. Bring to a boil over a high flame, then lower the heat, partially cover the pan, and let simmer quietly for 45 minutes. Strain the stock through a wire-mesh sieve.
Tip the liquid into the roasting pan. Bring to a simmer, and mash the apples with a potato masher. Use a stick blender to puree the sauce, then pour it into a warmed pitcher. (The pulverized apples and onions will have thickened the gravy to the right consistency -- you won't have to add cornstarch or flour.)
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Wanna see all of my Thanksgiving recipes and platter-decorating tips? I've bundled them together for you.
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