Honey Brined Turkey with Herb Gravy

Try this delicious honey, brined turkey recipe topped with herb gravy.

Serves 8-10 with leftovers.

Ingredients:

  • For the brine:
    • 3/4 cup of kosher salt
    • 1/2 cup of honey
    • 32 ounces of low-sodium chicken broth
    • 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
    • 6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
    • 1 – 12-14 lb fresh turkey
  • For the turkey:
    • 1/2 peeled onion cut in half
    • 1 quartered Fuji/Honeycrisp apple
    • 1 halved garlic bulb
    • 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
    • 1/3 cup of canola oil
  • For the gravy:
    • 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
    • turkey neck and giblets from turkey
    • 1 unpeeled yellow onion chopped
    • 1 unpeeled carrot diced
    • 3 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
    • 1 cup of Riesling wine
    • 3 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter
    • 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
    • 1/4 cup of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
    • 2 stems of finely chopped fresh rosemary, leaves removed
    • 3 sprigs of finely chopped fresh thyme, leaves removed

Method:

For the brine: Boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Add salt, honey, broth, peppercorns and rosemary to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve salt. Then cool at room temperature, then refrigerate until needed.

Place brine in a large clean bucket or stock pot and stir in 1 gallon of ice water. Fully submerge the turkey in the brine (adding additional ice water if needed), breast side down, cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight.

For the turkey: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove turkey from the brine and then discard the brine. Rinse the turkey with cool water inside and out; then pat dry. Season the turkey cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, apple, garlic and rosemary. Place on a roasting rack set inside a large roasting pan and tuck the wings back. Brush the entire turkey with oil.

Cover the breast portion with foil and place the turkey on lowest rack in oven and roast for 30 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 350°F and roast for an additional 2-2 1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 165°F when inserted between the breast and thigh without touching the bone. Remove foil from the breast about 45 minutes before the turkey is done. Then remove turkey from pan, place on a platter and tent with foil. Let the turkey rest 20 minutes before carving.

For the gravy: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. add the turkey neck, giblets, onions and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Then add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then turn heat down to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the gravy and discard the solid ingredients. Then refrigerate until ready for use.

While the turkey is resting, pour pan liquid into a measuring cup and freeze for 15 minutes. Skim off any fat from the measuring cup. Heat the roasting pan over medium heat and add Riesling wine; and scrape any browned bits. Pour these pan drippings with the gravy broth into the pan to simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk in unsalted butter until melted and then whisk in the flour. Add the chopped herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking to thicken while stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

Nutrition Info:

Per Serving: 360 calories (190 from fat), 22g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 105mg cholesterol, 720mg sodium, 4g carbohydrates, 34g protein.

SOURCE