Whether you look forward to a juicy turkey on Thanksgiving and see it as the centerpiece of the entire meal, or you just see it as a vehicle for gravy, it’s simply not Thanksgiving without it. One bad experience with a dry bird is all it takes to believe that roasting a turkey is tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. This recipe is about as simple as it gets. So, if the turkey is the center of your Thanksgiving joy? You’ll love this. And if the gravy is what you look most forward to, you won’t be disappointed.
So, carve your turkey and drizzle with delicious homemade shallot gravy for a Thanksgiving feast to remember!
Herb roasted turkey recipe
Ingredients
- 1 10-12 pound fresh turkey, with the neck, heart and gizzard removed
- 2 whole shallots
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Roughly an hour before you want to put your turkey in the oven, remove it from the refrigerator and remove the neck, heart and gizzard.
- Place the turkey breast-side up on a plastic cutting board or in the roasting pan to allow it to warm up a bit.
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Ensure that your oven rack is in the bottom third of your oven. Rub the turkey with some salt and pepper and then a good coating of olive oil. Place the whole shallots and the thyme sprigs in the cavity of the turkey.
- Settle the bird in the roasting pan, breast side up.
- Pour two cups of vegetable broth into the roasting pan, tent the roasting pan with aluminum foil and place the turkey in the oven.
- Roast the turkey for 2 hours.
- Remove the aluminum foil and baste with the drippings.
- Increase the oven temperature to 425F and continue to roast the turkey until it reaches 165F in both the thigh and breast. This should take roughly another hour.
- Remove the rack and turkey and transfer it to a clean cutting board.
- Tent the turkey with aluminum foil once again and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.
Homemade shallot gravy recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cups chicken broth and/or pan drippings
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour and cornstarch.
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the shallots and thyme and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the broth/drippings to the pan and whisk to combine.
- Add the pepper and garlic powder, whisking to combine.
- Bring to a simmer and slowly add the flour and cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly.
- Bring back to a boil, whisking constantly and reduce the heat just enough to keep it at a low boil.
- Cook until the gravy reduces by almost half, roughly 15-20 minutes, being sure to whisk often and scrape down the sides of the pan.
- Serve alongside your Thanksgiving turkey.