COMPOUND BUTTER

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3 sticks salted butter, at room temperature

3 tablespoons fresh sage, plus more for stuffing the bird

3 tablespoons fresh thyme, plus more for stuffing the bird

4 tablespoons fresh parsley

3 garlic cloves

Zest of 2 lemon

4 teaspoons kosher salt

3 teaspoons black pepper

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TURKEY

1 (14-16) pound turkey, giblets and neck removed

1 piece large of double lined cheesecloth

2 lemons, halved

1 garlic head, tips sliced off

1 onion, halved

8 cups low sodium chicken or turkey broth

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GRAVY

1 cup white wine, dry & crisp

3 tbsp brandy – if available

4 tablespoons salted butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Drippings from the turkey

3 cups low sodium chicken or turkey broth, as needed

1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

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TURKEY STOCK

Reserved turkey neck, wing tips, heart and gizzard crosswise into ½ -inch pieces.

2 carrot, coarsely chopped

2 celery rib, coarsely chopped

2 small onion, coarsely chopped

Salt

6 parsley stems

6 black peppercorns

6 whole cloves

3 bay leaf

1 tbsp. dried thyme

8 c water

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1. Make turkey stock. Best done in a slow cooker 1-2 days in advance. Pre-made stock more than welcome.

2. Make the compound butter. Mince all herbs & garlic (nope, that’s all the garlic needed) in a food processor. Add lemon zest & butter. If able, let butter rest over night.

3. Remove the turkey & compound butter from the fridge one hour before roasting. Remove the giblets + neck and allow to come to room temperature.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Refer to turkey roasting chart for additional info on times & temps. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan.

5. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with the lemons, garlic and onion.

6. Taking about ½ of the butter, gently rub the herb butter under the skin of the bird, spreading some of the butter on top of the skin as well.

7. Melt remaining butter. Dampen cheesecloth with warm water & squeeze dry. Completely submerge the cheesecloth in the butter. Lay the cheesecloth over the bird, covering most of the bird. Drizzle any remaining butter over the turkey.

8. Pour 3 cups of chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in the oven at 350 degrees F.

9. Baste turkey hourly, not totally necessary but does get better skin. Add final cup of stock when mostly done or earlier if needed

10. Continue roasting until the turkey registers 160 F on a meat thermometer in breast & inner thigh.

11. Remove the turkey from the oven and remove the cheesecloth, transfer the turkey to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil and let rest at least 45 minutes before slicing.

12. Make the gravy. Strain the liquid from the roasting pan, skimming off most of the fat. Freeze for 10 minutes to help separate fat.Once you have skimmed the fat, add enough broth to equal about 4-5 cups total of drippings/broth. Skim out the amount of butter needed for the gravy.

13. Placing roasting pan over burners, scrape the pan thoroughly & deglaze with ½ of the wine. Tbh scraping what you can & transferring this to another pan has worked out fine.

14. Melt butter in pan, whisk in flour to combine & stir constantly, until the mixture is golden, around 5 minutes.

15. Increase heat to medium high and add the remaining ½ cup of white wine, whisking as you go to let the wine reduce down.

16. Slowly add reserved broth, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the sage and cook, continuing to stir, until the gravy has thickened to your desired thickness, around 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm with the turkey.

17. If able, save any leftover drippings from stock in refrigerator. Once cooled, scrape off fat & thick lemony bone broth should remain. Save for pastina

NOTE: While not called for, you can absolutely stuff this turkey, but please be aware of increased cook times & don't forget to temp check stuffing before finishing cook. If unstuffed, Turkey will probably take an hour less than chart expects.

NOTE: Recipe thoroughly modified from original

NOTE : Refer to guide for cook & thaw times based on weight. Rotate thawing turkey daily in fridge

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