You can never have too many main course recipes, so give Brined Herb-Crusted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy a try. This recipe covers 46% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. One portion of this dish contains approximately 89g of protein, 51g of fat, and a total of 997 calories. This recipe serves 10. If you have granny smith apples, apple cider, onion, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. To use up the bay leaves you could follow this main course with the Adorable Applesauce Cupcakes as a dessert. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 53 hours.
Instructions
1
Watch how to make this recipe.
2
Special equipment: butcher's twine
Equipment you will use
Kitchen Twine
1
Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large container.
Ingredients you will need
Brine
2
Add the turkey and let it brine in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Ingredients you will need
Whole Turkey
Brine
1
Remove the turkey from the brine the night before roasting and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels.
Ingredients you will need
Whole Turkey
Brine
Equipment you will use
Paper Towels
2
Combine the rosemary, sage, and butter for the herb crust in a small bowl. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Work the butter under the skin of the turkey and massage it into the breasts and the legs. Massage the butter on the outside of the skin as well. Tie the legs together over the breast so they will protect it during cooking and help keep it moist and juicy.
Ingredients you will need
Kosher Salt
Rosemary
Butter
Whole Turkey
Crust
Sage
Equipment you will use
Bowl
1
Put the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, apples, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and thyme in a roasting pan and season with salt. Arrange the turkey on top of the veggies and refrigerate overnight UNCOVERED! Yes, that's right, uncovered. This will help the skin dry out and become really brown and crispy. Make sure that there is no raw food near the turkey in the refrigerator. After refrigerating overnight, the turkey is ready to go in the oven.
Ingredients you will need
Cinnamon Stick
Bay Leaves
Carrot
Apple
Celery
Garlic
Onion
Whole Turkey
Thyme
Salt
Equipment you will use
Roasting Pan
Oven
2
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Equipment you will use
Oven
3
Put 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup apple cider in the bottom of the roasting pan. Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until the skin gets really nice and brown, about 40 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F for the remainder of the cooking time. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes or so and add more stock to the roasting pan, if needed. Cook about 17 minutes per pound. Once it gets to the proper color, tent the turkey with aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too dark.
Ingredients you will need
Stock
Apple Cider
Whole Turkey
Equipment you will use
Aluminum Foil
Roasting Pan
Oven
4
Remove the turkey from the oven when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the turkey registers 160 degrees F. Make sure that the thermometer is not touching a bone when doing the reading. When the turkey has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the roasting pan to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Ingredients you will need
Whole Turkey
Bone
Equipment you will use
Aluminum Foil
Cutting Board
Roasting Pan
Kitchen Thermometer
Oven
5
Strain all the veggies over a bowl to separate them from the stock/mixture. Discard the veggies. Skim off the fat and add it to the roasting pan. This is the fat for the roux.
Ingredients you will need
Stock
Equipment you will use
Roasting Pan
Bowl
6
Put the roasting pan over 2 burners and over a low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1 cup apple cider, remaining chicken stock and the stock/cider mixture. Cook until the mixture has thickened and reached a gravy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Ingredients you will need
Stock
Apple Cider
Seasoning
Cider
All Purpose Flour
Gravy
Equipment you will use
Roasting Pan
Whisk
7
Pour into a serving pitcher or bowl.
Equipment you will use
Bowl
8
Carve the turkey, transfer to a serving platter and serve with the gravy.