Oh SNAP! It's the holidays!
You've already spent a small fortune on gifts for friends, family, coworkers and everyone else. Now you need to spend even more to feed everyone?!
Don't worry. We have tons of recipes for a feast and leftovers, making sure you don't break the bank this holiday. Follow our posts, cook along with us and let us know what you think!
We're going to get started with the heavy hitters. Here's our recipe for a Roasted Turkey. Happy Holidays!!!
Simple Roasted Turkey & Gravy
Yields 4 servings, plus leftovers
Cost: $16.31
We know it looks like a lot of ingredients and it is - we're making a feast! The stuffing and roast are playing several roles: they're keeping the bird moist, creating the base for our gravy and providing us with perfectly roasted vegetables to use with our leftovers.
Ingredients
Brine
2 cups brown sugar
¼ cup black peppercorns
¾ cup kosher salt
2 oranges, peeled (reserve actual fruit)
1 lemon, peeled (reserve actual fruit)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 gallons cold water
12 pound turkey
Stuffing
2 oranges, reserved from brine, quartered
1 lemon, reserved from brine, quartered
6 cloves garlic, smashed
½ bunch thyme, fresh
Roast
4 carrots, peeled
2 parsnips, peeled
1 onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 button mushrooms
6 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Gravy
Dripping from turkey, all vegetables removed (reserve carrots, parsnips and mushrooms for later use)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups homemade chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste
Procedure
Brine turkey
1.) Combine all ingredients except the turkey in a large stockpot. Stir to combine.
2.) Add turkey to the brine.
3.) Cover and place in refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
Roast turkey
1.) Preheat oven to 450F.
2.) Remove turkey from brine and soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Discard the brine.
3.) Rinse turkey again to remove the additional salt and sugar. Pat dry.
4.) Stuff the turkey with oranges, lemon, garlic and thyme. Tie legs together.
5.) Brush turkey with butter. Set aside.
5.) Place carrots, parsnips, onion, mushrooms, garlic and ½ cup of water on a sheet tray. Place a rack on top of the vegetables, and the turkey on top of that.
6.) Roast turkey for 30 minutes.
7.) Lower the temperature to 350F and cover the breasts with aluminum foil. Cook for another 1.5 - 2 hours, or until the internal temperature registers 165F.
8.) Remove from heat and rest for 30 minutes before carving. Enjoy!
Gravy
1.) Using oven mitts, transfer the turkey drippings to a medium saucepan.
2.) Heat the drippings over medium heat.
3.) When the drippings begin to bubble, add flour and whisk until smooth.
4.) Continue whisking for 5 minutes. This process removes the raw flavor from the flour.
5.) Pour 1 cup of stock into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
6.) While whisking, add remaining stock to the pot and bring to a boil.
7.) Once the gravy boils, reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes, or until the gravy is thick.
8.) Season with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey. ENJOY!
Have a question?