Roast Turkey Recipe

Ingredients: serve 15 to 20

Turkey
1 whole Butterball turkey, (about 9 to 10 pounds) Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup butter, divide into two portion
1 onion, peeled
Fresh sage, optional
Fresh thyme, optional

Procedures:

• Pre heat oven to 425F Remove the packed turkey neck, liver and giblets from the turkey and set aside for making the gravy. Wash turkey well inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Season inside and out with salt and pepper.
• Melt 1 portion of the butter in a small skillet. Positions turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan and brush all over with melted butter. (if you don know which is the breast side up, just remember, the wing tip has to points upward.)
• Cut remaining butter into cubes and insert in cavity of turkey, together with whole onion and herbs, if using.
• Season turkey again with salt and pepper. Insert meat thermometer on the thickest part of the turkey, which would be the thigh, closest to the body. Be sure meat thermometer does not touch the bone.
• Put turkey in preheated oven. Turn oven temperature down to 350oF. check after 45 minutes to see if turkey is browning too fast. If so, lower heat to 325oF. you may also cover the turkey loosely with a tent of aluminum foil.
• While turkey is roasting, you may baste it occasionally with the drippings. For this purpose, you should use a basting brush with a long handle. (it is also okay not to baste turkey, if you don’t want to.)

Giblet Gravy
Ingredients:
1 turkey neck(from package)
1 turkey giblet (from package)
1 turkey liver (from package)
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups water dripping from turkey
¼ cup flour

Procedures:

• Put turkey neck, giblet, liver and salt in large saucepan. Pour in water. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Let turkey neck continue to simmer in the water for another 30 minutes but remove giblet and liver. Transfer into a mortar and pound with a pestle until of very fine consistency. Set aside.
• Remove turkey neck from saucepan and turn off heat. Pry the meat form the bones. Chop meat finely. Set aside together with the pounded giblet and liver. Make sure you also set aside the simmering liquid, which would constitute the broth.
• Strain the turkey drippings into a measuring bowl, to separate the liquid from the fat.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the fat into a deep saucepan. Add flour and cook over low heat, constantly stirring the fat and the flour until well blended. Pour enough of the broth into the reserved drippings to make 2 cups. Add the pounded turkey meat, giblet and liver.
• Gradually pour mixture into the flour fat mixture in the saucepan. Stir over low heat until smooth consistency. Season with additional salt if needed. Strain and serve with roast turkey.