A delicious salted roast turkey, complemented by a flavorful gravy creates a deliciously tender and juicy bird for your Thanksgiving celebration. (Heck, it’s great any time of the year.) This relatively no-fuss recipe gives you the freedom to sit down, relax, and enjoy the day.
Herbed Salt
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp coarse kosher salt
- 1 ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 1 ½ tsp dried rubbed sage
- 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
- 3 small bay leaves, coarsely torn
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon peel
Turkey
- 1 14-16-lb turkey (neck, heart, and gizzard reserved)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large celery stalk, chopped
- 1 whole lemon, chopped with peel
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (or more) Turkey Stock (see recipe)
Gravy
- 3 ½ cups Turkey Stock
- 2/3 cups chopped shallots
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Herbed Salt
Rub first six ingredients in small bowl to crush herbs finely. Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover: store at room temperature. Stir in peel before using.
Turkey
Rinse turkey inside and out (do not pat dry). Pull any fat pads from main cavity and neck cavity of turkey; wrap, chill, and reserve fat for roasting. Place turkey in roating bag; sprinkle inside and out with herbed salt. Close bag. Place on baking sheet: refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.
Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat very dry. Stir chopped onion and next five ingredients in small bowl. Divide onion mixture between main and neck cavities. Fold neck skin under and secure with skewer. Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Spread butter all over turkey. Place reserved fat pads and reserved neck, heart, and gizzard in pan; pour in two cups of turkey stock.
Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices. Continue to roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees F to 170 degrees F, basting every 45 minutes, adding stock or water to pan if dry, and tented loosely with foil if browning too quickly, 3 to 3 ½ hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter; tent very loosely with foil and let rest 30 to 45 minutes. Reserve roasting pan with juices for gravy.
Gravy
Remove turkey neck, heart, and gizzard from roasting pan. Pull meat off neck; chop neck meat heart and gizzard and reserve or gravy, if desired. Pour pan juices into 8-cup measuring spoon. Spoon off fat from surface, reserving ½ cup fat. Add enough turkey stock to degreased pan juices to measure 5 ½ cups total.
Place roasting pan over 2 burners on medium heat Add ½ cup reserved fat and shallots; sauté 1 minute. Whisk in flour. Cook until roux is light brown, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in wine, stock mixture, mustard, and fresh rosemary. Bring to boil, whisking to blend. Boil until gravy coats spoon, about 3 minutes. Add neck, heart, and gizzard if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve turkey with gravy.
