Sage roasted turkey - country living

15 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 large Bunch fresh sage
1 15-lb fresh or thawed frozen turkey
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
Turkey Gravy (recipe follows)
Cooked Gold Nugget squash wedges (opt.)
Stir-fried green beans (opt.)

Directions

1. Rinse and dry sage sprigs. Remove about 12 sage leaves from their stems. Reserve half of the remaining sage sprigs; wrap and refrigerate remaining sage sprigs for garnish.

2. Remove giblets and neck from turkey and reserve for Turkey Gravy.

Rinse turkey with cold water; drain well. Pat dry with paper towels.

Rub oil all over turkey skin.

3. Loosen turkey skin from meat, then randomly place sage leaves flat over turkey breast and thighs, if possible. Place reserved sage sprigs in neck and body cavities. Skewer neck skin to turkey back; tuck wing tips under shoulder joints, Tie drum-sticks securely to tail or push drumstick under clamp or band of skin, if present.

4. Heat oven to 325'F. In shallow, open roasting pan, place turkey, breast side up, on wire rack. If using a meat thermometer, insert it so bulb is in center of inside thigh muscle. Be sure bulb is not touching bone.

5. Roast turkey 2½ hours or until skin is golden brown. While turkey is roasting, prepare the broth for Turkey Gravy.

6. After turkey has roasted for 2 ½ hours, cut string or remove drumsticks from clamp or band of skin so heat can reach inside of thighs. Cover turkey breast loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and continue to roast 1 to 1 ½ hours or until thermometer registers 180'F. To test for doneness when not using a meat thermometer, wait approximately 20 minutes before roasting time is up, then press the thick part of the drumstick between fingers protected with a paper towel; meat should feel soft and drumstick should move up and down easily. When thighs are pierced with a fork, the juices should not be pink.

7. Transfer turkey to large platter; let rest 15 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, prepare Turkey Gravy. Arrange cooked squash and beans around turkey, if desired. Garnish turkey with remaining sage sprigs. Serve turkey with gravy.

Turkey Gravy: While turkey is roasting, coat bottom of 4- quart saucepan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray and brown reserved turkey neck and giblets. Add a handful of celery leaves, 1 small onion, cut up, and 1 bay leaf. Add 5 C water to cover giblets and heat to boiling. Cover pan and simmer 1 to 1 ½ hours or until giblets and neck are tender. Remove giblets and neck from broth and discard or reserve for another use. Strain and cool broth; discard vegetables. When turkey is done, pour roasting-pan drippings into a 4-C measuring cup or bowl. Let drippings stand until fat rises to top of juices. Discard fat from drippings. Add strained giblet broth to juices to make 4 C liquid. If not enough, add water or canned chicken broth. Pour 2 C broth mixture into roasting pan and heat to loosen browned-on bits. With wire whisk, stir ½ C unsifted all-purpose flour into remaining cooled broth mixture until smooth; stir into broth mixture in roasting pan. Cook until gravy thickens and bubbles, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into gravy boat. Makes 4 cups.

Country Living/Nov/93 Scanned & fixed by DP & GG

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