Roast Turkey and Gravy

What is Thanksgiving without roast turkey? Most of us can not imagine the holiday without turkey and all of it fixings. The thought of hosting Thanksgiving can strike fear into any brave soul, but when broken down into steps, it does not have to be frightening.

Once you have your turkey, a delicious roast turkey requires just a few additional ingredients. Based on the weight of your turkey, you will need to figure out your roasting time and then work backwards from your serving time to determine when you need to start roasting your turkey.

We highly recommend that you do not stuff your bird and this recipe calls for the turkey to be cooked separately from the stuffing. Stuffing the bird causes uneven cooking times, is unnecessary and is considered by many, including the USDA, to be unsafe. The internal temperature of the stuffing must reach 165° which may cause your turkey to be overcooked. We suggest that you cook your stuffing separately in a casserole dish. We have included a list  of cooking equipment that you will need below.

Equipment you will need:

A roasting pan large enough for your turkey with a roasting rack

Aluminum foil, to tent the bird, if necessary

Kitchen twine

Basting brush

Turkey baster

A cup, bottle, or mason jar with a lid to make the slurry for the gravy

Gravy separator

Medium sized non-stick saucepan

For more delicious dairy free recipes for your holiday table, please visit our recipe page.

Print Recipe
Roast Turkey & Gravy
Thanksgiving turkey brine
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Rating: 0
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 60 minutes
Servings
Varies per turkey
Ingredients
Turkey
For inside turkey cavity
For roasting pan
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 60 minutes
Servings
Varies per turkey
Ingredients
Turkey
For inside turkey cavity
For roasting pan
Thanksgiving turkey brine
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Roast Turkey
  1. Adjust oven racks to fit turkey and roasting pan.
  2. Preheat oven to 325°.
  3. If brining, an hour before roasting time, remove turkey from brine. Rinse turkey under cool water thoroughly. Be sure to rinse under the wings and inside the cavity. Rinse the turkey until all the brine is removed. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Discard remaining brine.
  4. Melt butter substitute in a saucepan and add spices, mix well.
  5. Using a basting brush, spread the spice mixture all over the entire bird.
  6. Take fresh sage leave, thyme sprigs and cut lemon and place inside the cavity.
  7. Tuck the wings into the neck. It is sometimes helpful to cut small slits into the skin to hold the wings in place. Loosely tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
  8. Fill the roasting pan with the leeks, onions, celery, giblets and 1 of the 32 oz. containers of stock.
  9. Place turkey, breast side up on the roasting rack and place in the preheated oven.
  10. Baste turkey every 45 minutes. If the skin starts to get too brown on the legs or the breast, tent loosely with aluminum foil.
  11. If needed, add more stock to the roasting pan, reserving 1 cup for the gravy.
  12. Roast turkey until the internal temperature reaches 165°. Place thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, avoiding the bone. When the turkey at temperature, remove it from the oven and let it rest. The turkey will be easier to carve if allowed to rest for 45 minutes. The turkey will stay hot if left to rest. Remove turkey from pan and place on a large cutting board or tray. Set aside.
Gravy
  1. Pour the juice from the roasting pan into the gravy separator and set aside. The fat will rise to the top allowing you to pour out the juice minus the fat.
  2. If using the giblets in the gravy, chop into finely diced pieces, if not already done and set aside.
  3. Deglaze the pan by using a wooden spoon to scrape the pieces off the bottom of the pan. If the bits are stuck, heat the roasting pan over 2 burners and add 1/2 cup turkey stock, while using the spoon to scrap the bottom of the pan. Add the bits and stock to a medium saucepan.
  4. Add the juice from the fat separator to the saucepan, making sure to not add the fat. Stir well. The juice is clear so you will be able to clearly see when you have reached the fat.
  5. Add remaining stock to the saucepan and stir.
  6. In a small bottle, cup or mason jar, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water, shake well. This is called a slurry. Add to the saucepan and stir over medium heat. You want to repeat the slurry process a little at a time until you reach the desired thickness of your gravy. Salt to taste.
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