How to Make Roasted Turkey and Gravy

butter

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Olive oil reduces saturated fat while maintaining moisture.

whole turkey

🥗Healthier: skinless turkey breast

💰Cheaper: chicken

Skinless turkey breast is lower in calories, while chicken is often less expensive.

chicken broth

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water + bouillon cubes

Vegetable broth is lower in calories, while bouillon cubes are a cost-effective alternative.

flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: cornstarch

Whole wheat flour adds fiber, while cornstarch is a cheaper thickening agent.

Start the day before Thanksgiving by separating the dark meat from the white meat of the turkey.

Cut down through the turkey to separate the dark meat from the white meat, bending it to break the back.

Roast the neck, wings, and carcass at 350°F for about 2 and 1/2 hours until it reaches 165°F.

Once cooled, break apart the hindquarters and pull the meat from the bone, packing it in a shallow pan and covering it with skin before refrigerating.

Transfer the roasted bones to a stock pot and add about 8 cups of water to make roasted turkey stock.

Cook the stock down until most color is extracted from the bones, then strain and set aside for gravy.

Sauté finely chopped diced onion in melted butter until caramelized and golden brown.

Add about 1/3 cup of flour to the caramelized onions to make a roux for thickening the gravy.

Slowly add the turkey stock to the roux as it simmers and thickens, then refrigerate the gravy base for the next day.

On Thanksgiving Day, roast the breast meat for about 2 and 1/2 hours until it reaches 165°F.

Once the breast meat has cooled, transfer it to a cutting board to rest before carving.

Add calvados and apple cider to the pan drippings to enhance flavor, then add to the gravy with 2 tablespoons of cream, sage, thyme, kosher salt, and black pepper.

Carve the breast meat by cutting it off the carcass, laying it flat, and slicing across the grain.

Serve the carved turkey with the dark meat and gravy.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens