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We are headed into my favorite time of year. I love the holiday season.Nothing says comfort to me like a big holiday meal with family. Last year at this time my Mother-in-law had some serious health issues and I took over planning and executing the Thanksgiving meal. It was my first time preparing the turkey by myself, and it was quite a comfort that it was a success! Today I am going to share with you the best Turkey and gravy recipe I have ever eaten. That is the truth. It’s really the gravy that I love so much, but you need to prepare them in conjunction with each other. Generally I shy away from making dishes with a lot of ingredients or if it seems like a lot of steps are required. I promise this is 100% worth it.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 to 14 pound) turkey
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium onions
• 1 head garlic
• Several sprigs of fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley, rosemary, or sage
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 to 4 medium carrots
• 2 to 4 celery stalks
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 cups chicken broth (about 4 small cans or 2 quart boxes)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• Special equipment: large roasting pan, pastry brush or bulb baster, instant-read thermometer

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and remove the other racks. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Prepare the turkey: Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey. Discard the liver, set the others aside. Dry the turkey inside and out with paper towels.
3. Season the breast cavity with salt and pepper. Slice the onions and halve the garlic head crosswise. Stuff all the garlic and half the onions inside the turkey along with some of the herbs and 1 bay leaf.
4. Halve the carrots and celery lengthwise; put them in the center of roasting pan and set the turkey, breastside up, on top of the vegetables.
5. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, and brush about half of it all over the bird, season the skin with salt and pepper.
6. Tent turkey with aluminum foil and roast for 2 hours. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of the butter for basting the bird.
7. Cook the rest of the onion, neck and giblets in the remaining butter in the saucepan, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until browned, about 15 minutes. Add the broth, remaining herbs, and bay leaf; cover and simmer over medium-low heat while the turkey roasts, about 2 hours. Discard the giblets if desired, or reserve for giblets gravy.
8. After 2 hours, remove the foil from the turkey and use a pastry brush or bulb baster to baste turkey with the reserved butter and some of the pan drippings.
9. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer stuck in the thigh registers between 170 and 180 degrees F, about 1 hour more.
10. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

For the Gravy:

1. Pour all the turkey pan drippings into a liquid measuring cup and discard the vegetables.
2. Ladle off 1/2 cup of the fat from the top of the drippings, and transfer to a saucepan. Tip: Put measuring cup with remaining drippings and fat in the freezer for a few minutes to separate.
3. Heat fat over medium heat, scatter the flour evenly on top and cook, stirring constantly, with a wooden spoon until the flour browns slightly and smells toasty, about 4 minutes.
4. Switch to a whisk; then gradually and carefully ladle the hot broth into the flour mixture while whisking constantly.
5. Bring the gravy to a boil; adjust the heat so it simmers gently.
6. Skim and discard any excess fat from the remaining drippings, and add the pan juices to the gravy.
7. Continue to simmer, whisking occasionally, until the gravy is thickened, about 10 minutes.
8. Season with the Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.
9. Remove and discard onion, garlic, herbs, and bay leaf from the turkey cavity. Pour any juices that have accumulated into the gravy, Carve the turkey.

After you eat this delicious turkey and gravy you will probably need a nice Tempur-Pedic pillow to sleep it off. LOL!
I would love to hear what you holiday comforts you look forward to. Leave me a comment, I would love to add a few new traditions to our family.

Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic’s Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.