Apple-Shallot Roasted Turkey With Cider Gravy
Active Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Total Time: 3 hours, 50 minutesServes 12
- 1 (10- to 12-pound) turkey
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus 3 sprigs
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus 3 sprigs
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus 3 sprigs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise, divided
- 1 tart green apple, quartered
- 3 cups water, plus more as needed
- 6 cups water
- 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups apple cider
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities and reserve to make stock. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry with paper towels.
Combine oil, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin and onto the breast meat. Place herb sprigs, 6 shallot halves, and apple in the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Add 3 cups water to the pan.
Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes. Remove from the oven. If using a remote digital thermometer, insert it into the deepest part of the thigh, close to the joint. Cover just the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to fit. Scatter the remaining shallots in the pan around the turkey.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Return the turkey to the oven and continue roasting until the thermometer (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone) registers 165 degrees F, 1 to 1 3/4 hours more. If the pan dries out, add 1 cup water and tilt the turkey to let juices run out of the cavity into the pan.
Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl and let cool. Discard solids.
When the turkey is done, transfer to a serving platter (reserve pan juices and shallots), tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.
Set the roasting pan over two burners on medium-high heat. Add cider and vinegar; bring to a boil and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the pan, until the liquid is reduced by about half, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups of the stock. Increase heat to high; return to a boil, whisking often. Boil until the liquid is reduced by about half, 8 to 12 minutes.
Whisk the flour mixture into the pan. Boil, whisking constantly, until the gravy is thickened, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the gravy through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup. (Discard the solids.) Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the string from the turkey and carve. Serve with the gravy.
Recipe nutrition per serving: 162 Calories, Total Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 89 mg, Carbohydrates: 3 g, Fiber: 0 g, Total Sugars: 2 g, Added Sugars: 0 g, Protein: 26 g, Sodium: 176 mg, Potassium: 226 mg, Folate: 14 mcg, Calcium: 15 mg.