Herb Butter Basted Slow Roast Turkey and Gravy

I wanted to try a slow roasted turkey. This is a combination of a couple of recipes and ideas.

Ingredients:

(~ 12-pound) fresh (or frozen turkey, thawed)
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon fresh chives

1.5 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon powdered garlic

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoons pepper

3 gloves garlic(for cavity)
1 sprigs fresh rosemary (for cavity)

1 stalk celery, cut in 2inch lengths (cut off ends & use in stock for gravy)

1 medium onion, quartered (cut off ends and remove skins, use in stock for gravy)

1 medium potato (washed and scrubbed, cut into eighths for gravy)
1 carrot (or about 4 or 5 baby carrots for gravy)

2 cups water (for pan)

2 cans chicken broth

2 cups water (for stock)

Instructions:

1. Prep turkey the night before, or early in the morning.
2. Mix together butter, chives, chopped rosemary, and next 4 spices (through pepper) in food processor or small bowl.
3. Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey, trim away excess fat.
4. Rinse turkey, and pat as dry as possible with paper towels.
5. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. 
6. Rub butter mixture under loosened skin and over breast and drumsticks. 
7. Tie wing tips up against turkey with cotton twine. 
8. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. (Use foil pan supported by a heavy cooking sheet.)
9. Place remaining 2 or garlic cloves & rosemary sprigs in body cavity. Tie legs together with kitchen string. 
10. Let turkey sit uncovered in refrigerator overnight.
11. Remove the prepped turkey from the refrigerator about 1 hour before your plan to begin cooking.
12. Preheat oven to 400°. (Maybe cook the Butter Dipped rolls first.)
13. Place quartered onions and celery pieces in roasting pan by the turkey. Pour in about 2 cups of water.
14. Place electric cooking thermometer in turkey breast. (Set alarm for 160 to 165 degrees.)
15. Place turkey (in roasting pan) in oven, bake at 400° for 30 minutes. (You may cover breast with foils after 30 minutes.) Start stock for gray cooking.
16. Reduce heat to 250°; estimate baking time at 250° for 20 minutes per pound, but watch thermometer. You may need to bump up temperature to 275°.
17. There is no basting necessary - it also messes up the oven temperature and cooking times.
18. Remove from oven; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes before cutting. 
19. Place any casseroles in the oven at that time at 350° degrees.  

For the Gravy:

1. Place neck bone and other gizzards (as acceptable) in heavy pot. Throw away liver.
2. Add skins and ends from 2 yellow onions, and 1 onion quartered. (Skins help color gravy)
3. Add ends and leaves from a couple of celery stalks, and pieces of 1 stock.
4. Add the cut potato pieces. Add a carrot cut into pieces (or equivalent or so baby carrots.)
5. Add 2 cans chicken broth, and 2 cups of water to pan.
6. Bring to boil, reduce heat at simmer for 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
7. Strain and remove everything but the broth. Remove from heat, and wait for turkey juices.
8. Pour juices from turkey pan into a glass measuring cup, let fat separate from broth.
9. Scrape up the browned bits from the pan to use in gravy - add to juices,
10. For each cup of gravy you want, start with two tablespoons of fat from drippings (or butter), and two tablespoons of flour or cornstarch.
11. Heat fat in a heavy pot, add flour and cook for at least a minute to cook flour and remove floury taste. Add additional drippings if this seems very dry.
12. Remove excess fat from pan juices, and stir in juices to pan.
13. Slowly add in stock as needed to make the amount of gravy you want.

 

 Carole's Notes:

I like the herb butter under the skin. This turkey cooked up nicely - reasonably juicy and tasty.