Roasted Sage Turkey with Vegetable Gravy

Name: Roasted Sage Turkey with Vegetable Gravy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Yield: 16 servings (3-1/2 cups gravy).
Ingredients: 1 turkey (14 to 16 pounds); 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon ground sage; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 large onion, chopped; 3 celery ribs, chopped; 3 medium carrots, chopped; 1-1/4 cups water, divided; 3 tablespoons canola oil; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper; 3/4 cup white wine; 3 fresh sage sprigs; 4 fresh thyme sprigs; GRAVY:; 1 to 1-1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or homemade chicken stock; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh sage; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

There’s no place like home-style when roasting the big bird. Instead of sage stuffing with turkey, stuff this bird with fresh sage and sprigs of thyme. —Beth Jacobson, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Ingredients

1 turkey (14 to 16 pounds)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1-1/4 cups water, divided
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup white wine
3 fresh sage sprigs
4 fresh thyme sprigs
GRAVY:
1 to 1-1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

Remove giblets and neck from turkey. Reserve turkey neck; refrigerate, covered, overnight. Place turkey in a 15x10-in. baking pan, breast side up. Secure skin to underside of neck cavity with toothpicks. Mix salt, sage and garlic powder. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Pat turkey dry. Rub outside of turkey with salt mixture. Refrigerate turkey, loosely covered, overnight.
Preheat oven to 475°. Place onion, celery, carrots and reserved neck in bottom of a broiler pan; add 1/2 cup water. Place broiler pan rack over top; transfer turkey to rack. Rub outside of turkey with oil; sprinkle with pepper. Pour wine and remaining water into turkey cavity; add sage and thyme sprigs.
Place turkey in oven, legs facing toward back of oven. Roast, uncovered, 40 minutes.
Reduce oven setting to 350°. Cover breast tightly with a double thickness of foil. Roast until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175° (thermometer should not touch bone or fat), 1-1/2 to 2 hours longer.
Remove turkey from oven. Let stand, uncovered, 20 minutes before carving. Using a turkey baster, remove liquid from turkey cavity to a large measuring cup. Line a strainer or colander with cheesecloth; place over measuring cup. With a slotted spoon, remove vegetables from bottom of broiler pan, reserving 1-1/4 cups. Discard turkey neck. Strain cooking liquid into measuring cup. Skim fat, reserving 1/4 cup fat. Add enough broth to the cooking liquid to measure 2 cups.
In a large saucepan, mix flour and reserved fat until smooth; gradually whisk in broth mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add half of the reserved vegetables. Puree gravy using an immersion blender; or, cool gravy slightly and puree in a blender. Stir in sage, pepper and remaining vegetables; heat through. Serve with turkey.

Nutrition Facts

9 ounces cooked turkey with about 1/4 cup gravy: 514 calories, 24g fat (6g saturated fat), 215mg cholesterol, 562mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 1g fiber), 64g protein.

Originally published as Roasted Sage Turkey in Taste of Home November 2015

Reviews

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Jnestor1085

Nov 26, 2015

Amazingly yummy turkey. It looked great, and tasted so very good. I followed all the instructions on the gravy and it was a huge hit. New go to recipe for sure. :)
havingfunwithmyfamily

Nov 5, 2015

So tasty and moist! I did not go to the trouble of using the vegetables as part of the gravy (reserving, straining and grinding was just one step I didn't have time for). I just used the juices to make a gravy, and served the vegetables on the side. The gravy was absolutely beautiful and delicious. One of the prettiest turkeys, and a big hit with the whole family! A wonderful recipe. Thank you!