Roast Turkey with Sherry Gravy, Happy Thanksgiving!
We are talking turkey today. I know, not a very typical Spanish dish. But like many others I have been cooking for years, this one had to be on the blog, because even though we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Spain, we do celebrate Christmas. And I have been eating turkey for Christmas since middle school. Seriously!
My aunt Isa, who lived in Puerto Rico for many years before moving back to Spain, brought the tradition of turkey to our Christmas Eve dinner. It was always celebrated at our house and, between delicious appetizers and desserts, my mom would have prepared the seafood and lamb, while my aunt Isa would bring the turkey, with the dressing (stuffing) and gravy. In fact, her turkey dressing is about the best one I’ve had in my entire life. Christmas Eve was full of laughter, carols and cheerful noise, and we always had a hard time getting to midnight mass on time, the feast still in full swing at home.
I will not give you a recipe for turkey dressing today, first, because there are many (although I will eventually share my pear, nut, and winter fruit dressing recipe). But also, because I want to post the recipe for my unstuffed turkey with sherry gravy so you have it in time for Thanksgiving.
Like with every non-Spanish dish that I cook, I introduce my twists: I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil, as well as port or sherry, in my gravy. Infused with a few sprigs of thyme, it gives it a distinguishable taste that you will love.
Turkey, as you can well imagine, requires a bit of preparation. It’s not hard to make, not at all, but you have to be aware of certain timing that has to be strictly followed for food safety from beginning to end —from the moment you take the turkey out of the fridge to temper, to the cooking times, to the time you take the turkey out of the oven and start making the gravy. In fact, preparing Thanksgiving dinner is all about perfect timing, and a good dose of balance between oven and stovetop cooked dishes to maximize the limited oven real estate.
I like to prep for Thanksgiving dinner a few days before T-day, starting with the list making of dishes and ingredients, then the shopping, and the peeling and prepping the day before. On Wednesday, I have this tradition of watching Gone With The Wind (I can’t tell how many times I’ve watched the movie!), as I am busy preparing the dressing, peeling, cutting and chopping, and getting some dishes ready as well in advance as I can . Then on Thanksgiving morning, it’s all about the bird. I wake up early to temper it and prepare the herb butter. Once it’s in the oven, I start preparing the dressing and other vegetables. When the roasted turkey comes out of the oven, there’s room in it now to put in the dressing and vegetables, while I’m busy on the stove with the gravy and other vegetables that are stove cooked.
Ah! The first thing I do to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner? I set the table! It puts me in the holiday mood and gives me some sense of accomplishment before I even get on with food preparation.
Happy Thanksgiving, and happy cooking!
Some notes:
- Amount per person: about 3/4 lb. turkey per person (more if you plan on having leftovers, which is almost a must!)
- Size: Choose a turkey larger than 10 lbs but no bigger than 20 lbs (that is my preference for better maneuverability)
- Type: Choose a fresh, organic turkey for more tender meat. If choosing a frozen turkey, thaw it in the refrigerator, taking into account that it may take 3 to 4 hours per pound to thaw, or from 2 to 5 days depending on its size
- Basting the turkey won’t produce more tender meat, but it will allow for a more evenly browned turkey, and more importantly, a tastier gravy
- Pan: Place the turkey on a metal rack inside of a roasting pan. Elevating the turkey from the bottom of the pan will produce clearer pan drippings, and will allow the turkey to brown more evenly
- Other parts: Unless you grow your own turkey, the neck and giblets will come in the turkey cavities in a store bought turkey. Remove them to use in other recipes, or to make stock
- Roasting times: 15 minutes per pound (2 1/2 hours for a 10 lb turkey, 4 hours for a 16 lb turkey, and so on)
ROAST TURKEY WITH SHERRY GRAVY
Pavo al Horno con Salsa al Jerez
Ingredients:
1 organic turkey
For the rub:
8 Tbs unsalted butter
A few sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
For the basting:
3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock
6 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 cup sherry or port
1/4 cup olive oil
For the gravy:
7 cups chicken or turkey stock
A few sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sherry or port
Salt and pepper
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey cavities and reserve if you’ll use them in another recipe.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450ºF
Prepare the rub: Place the butter in a small bowl and bring it close to room temperature, Mince the thyme and add to the butter. Add the salt, pepper and garlic powder and mix to form a paste.
Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a flat surface. With your fingers, gently detach the skin from the flesh, working your fingers their way into the breast and legs. Rub the turkey flesh as evenly as you can with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the butter mixture. Rub the remaining butter mixture evenly on the turkey skin, making sure no surface is left uncovered. Tie the turkey legs with kitchen twine and tuck the tips of the wings to avoid over browning. Optional: insert an onion and a few sprigs or thyme in the turkey body cavity
Place the turkey in the pan and place in the oven. Set the timer and roast for 30 minutes.
Prepare the basting: In a small saucepan, add the stock, the butter, the sherry or port and the olive oil. Warm over low heat until the butter has melted.
At the 30 minute mark, lower the oven temperature to 325ºF. Using a bulb baster, or a small ladle, start basting the turkey. Continue to roast, basting every 30 minutes with the basting liquid, then with the accumulated pan juices. I like to set the timer for 30 minutes, and take note of every time the timer sounds. If you see the turkey is browning too fast, feel free to cover the breast with foil.
About 30 minutes before the turkey is supposed to come out of the oven, insert an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey thigh, without touching the bone. If the temperature is not yet 165ºF, remove the thermometer and continue to roast. When the temperature reads 165ºF, take the pan out of the oven. Remove the turkey from the pan, set it on a cutting board, and cover with foil (the turkey with continue to “cook”, to a desired temperature of 175ºF). The turkey has to rest for about 20 minutes before carving.
Make the gravy: In a saucepan, place the stock, the sherry or port and the thyme and warm over low heat, letting the liquid infuse with the thyme.
Because of the basting, there will be a good amount of accumulated juices in the roasting pan. Place the pan over two burners on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Add some of the liquid in the saucepan if necessary. Stir to deglaze the pan, scraping all the brown bits from the bottom, for about 5 minutes. Place a sieve over a fat separator and pour the contents of the pan through it. Discard the solids.
In a glass jar provided with its lid, add the cornstarch and 1 cup of the liquid in the saucepan. Stir to mix (or close with the lid and shake).
Pour the juices from the fat separator over the saucepan with the stock and sherry mix. Dispose of the fat in a safe manner (never pour down the sink, where the solidified fat could clog the pipes; instead, dispose of it in a jar or soak it up in paper towels). Discard the thyme.
Reduce the heat to low and slowly add part of the cornstarch mix to the sauce pan, stirring constantly, and gradually adding more of the cornstarch mix, until the gravy thickens to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the turkey on a platter, with the “decorations” you desire: raw cranberries, sprigs of thyme, halved oranges, you name it.
To carve the turkey: It’s best to use a sharp carving knife and a 2-prong fork.
- Cut through the wing joints to remove them whole
- Cut through the thigh joint to remove the whole leg
- Cut through the joint that separates the drumstick form the thigh. Serve these pieces whole
- Carve the breast by cutting thin slices vertically
