Hey Nan. Here are 2 favorite turkey treatments for the birds you have on hand.
Herb-Roasted Turkey with Shallot Pan Gravy
Garnish the turkey with bunches of fresh thyme, sage and parsley.
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley plus 3 whole sprigs
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage plus 3 whole sprigs
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme plus 3 whole sprigs
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 15- to 16-pound turkey, rinsed, patted dry
1 1/2 pounds shallots, peeled, halved lengthwise through root end
3 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp all purpose flour
Mix butter, chopped parsley, chopped sage, chopped thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl to blend. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Transfer herb butter to small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Bring butter to room temperature before using.) Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350̊F. Sprinkle main cavity of turkey with salt and pepper. Place whole parsley, sage and thyme sprigs and 4 shallot halves in cavity. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Spread 3 tablespoons herb butter over breast meat under skin.
Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together to hold shape. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Rub 4 tablespoons herb butter over turkey. Cover only breast area of turkey with sheet of heavy-duty foil. Scatter remaining shallots in pan around turkey.
Roast turkey 30 minutes; baste with 1/2 cup broth. Continue roasting turkey for 1 1/2 hours, basting with 1/2 cup broth every 30 minutes. Remove foil from over turkey breast. Continue to roast turkey until golden brown and thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180̊F, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes, about 1 hour longer. Transfer turkey to platter. Brush with 1 tablespoon herb butter. Tent loosely with foil; let stand 20 minutes.
Using slotted spoon, transfer shallots from roasting pan to plate. Pour pan juices into medium bowl; spoon off fat and discard. Add wine and 1 cup chicken broth to roasting pan. Set pan directly over 2 burners and bring broth mixture to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Continue to boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes; pour into large glass measuring cup. Add degreased pan juices. Add enough broth if necessary to equal 3 cups liquid.
Blend flour into remaining herb butter. Pour broth mixture into heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Gradually whisk in herb butter mixture. Add any accumulated juices from turkey platter. Boil until gravy thickens enough to coat spoon lightly, whisking occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add shallots to gravy; simmer 1 minute. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Serve turkey with gravy. Makes 10 servings.
Source: 11/00 Bon Appétit
Other reviewer’s notes: This recipe is fantastic.; This is by far the absolute best gravy in the world. I'm going to make it with a roasted chicken throughout the year instead of with turkey. Outstanding!!! Follow the recipe exactly and you will get the best results!; I've been roasting turkeys for over 40 years and this is, without a doubt, the best turkey I've ever roasted/tasted! My family loved it and the shallot pan gravy so much that we're having it again for Christmas.; Absolutely delicious. The herb butter rubs gave it a crisp brown skin that made it look picture perfect. And it tasted even better than it looked. Moist and tender and as good today as it was yesterday. And the gravy was thick, flavorful and a unanimous wow!
Pat’s notes: This turkey is terrific.
http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=104300
More notes: Made this for Thanksgiving 2005 at Dee’s. Used Cathy Z's catering technique of using newspapers and towels packed in a box to transport it and that worked out extremely well and kept the turkey hot while we made gravy and waited for other guests to arrive.
********************
Roast Turkey with Oranges, Bay Leaves, Red Onions, and Pan Gravy
Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 4 hr
We think all turkeys are improved by brining (soaking in salted water), but it's a cumbersome process that few holiday schedules can accommodate. We found kosher turkeys, which are salted during the koshering process, to be just as flavorful and succulent as brined ones, without all the fuss. However, if you'd like to try brining, just stir together 8 quarts water with 2 cups kosher salt in a 5-gallon bucket lined with a large heavy-duty garbage bag, and soak turkey, covered and chilled, 10 hours. If you don't have room in your refrigerator, executive editor John Willoughby recommends brining in a large plastic cooler, using freezer packs to keep the water cool and replacing them as needed.
For turkey
1 (12- to 14-lb) turkey (preferably kosher), any quills removed if necessary and neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for making stock
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 navel oranges, each cut into 8 wedges
3 small red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
5 bay leaves (not California)
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
For gravy
Pan juices from roast turkey
About 4 cups turkey stock (page 198)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Garnish: 4 roasted onions, each cut into 8 wedges (optional); fresh bay leaves (do not eat)
Special equipment: small metal skewers or wooden toothpicks; kitchen string
Roast turkey:
Preheat oven to 425̊F.
Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Sprinkle turkey inside and out with salt and pepper, then fold neck skin under body and secure with small skewer. Stuff large cavity with oranges, 1 onion, and bay leaves. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen string and secure wings to body with small skewers.
Put turkey on a rack set in a large flameproof roasting pan and roast in middle of oven 30 minutes.
While turkey is roasting, toss remaining 2 onions with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
Reduce oven temperature to 350º F. Brush remaining 1/4 cup butter over turkey and roast 30 minutes more. Baste turkey and scatter buttered onion wedges around it, then roast, basting turkey every 30 minutes (add a little water to pan if onions get too dark) until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170̊F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more (total roasting time: 2 1/2 to 3 hours). Transfer turkey to a platter (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand 25 minutes (temperature will rise to 180̊F).
Make gravy:
Transfer pan juices with onions to a 2-quart glass measure, then skim off and reserve 1/4 cup fat. Add enough turkey stock to pan juices to make 4 1/2 cups total. Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add 1 cup stock mixture and deglaze pan by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add remaining stock mixture and bring to a simmer. Pour stock through a fine sieve back into glass measure and discard onions.
Whisk together reserved fat and flour in a large heavy saucepan and cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add hot stock mixture in a fast stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in any additional turkey juices accumulated on platter and season gravy with salt and pepper.
Serve turkey with gravy on the side.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Source: 11/01 Gourmet
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/105729
Pat’s notes: Verrry tasty turkey and gravy. So easy. Definitely a make-again.
