Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George’s Thanksgiving Turkey and Gravy
Make the perfect, juicy Thanksgiving turkey with this recipe from none other than Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George, complete with a herb butter to tenderise the meat and a gravy. For the ultimate side dish, don't miss their Sweet Potato Casserole .
Introduction
The keys to a perfect turkey? First, make sure the bird is properly thawed and prepped for cooking. Then insert some butter—we use herb butter—under the skin and brush more over the skin itself. And don’t cook it too fast or for too long. Enjoy the aroma that fills your kitchen from the carrots, celery, onions, and apples, as well as thyme and sage. It just is Thanksgiving. It smells like home
Ingredients
| For the herb butter: | |
|---|---|
| 1 cup (2 sticks) | butter, softened |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| ½ tsp | pepper |
| 5 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 1 tsp | chopped fresh rosemary |
| 1 tsp | chopped fresh thyme |
| 1 tsp | chopped fresh sage |
| For the turkey: | |
| 1 (14-pound) | whole turkey |
| 1 bunch | celery, washed, trimmed, and halved crosswise |
| 2 large | onions, peeled and quartered |
| 2 | apples, cored and quartered |
| cooking spray, for greasing | |
| 1 pound | carrots, washed, trimmed, and halved crosswise |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 1 sprig | thyme |
| A few | sage leaves |
| fresh parsley, for serving | |
| For the gravy: | |
| 2 cups | drippings from the roasting pan |
| chicken stock, as needed | |
| ¼ cup | cold water |
| 2 tbsp | all-purpose flour |
| Pinch of | salt |
Method
Prep time: 25 minutes plus thawing and resting time cook time: 3 hours 15 minutes.
To make the herb butter, place the butter in a small bowl. Mash the salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and sage into the butter using a fork. If making well in advance, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until needed. You can make this the day before and bring back to room temperature before preparing the turkey.
To cook the turkey, move the oven rack to the bottom position and preheat the oven to 350°F.Remove the turkey from the refrigerator, removing all packaging, the giblets bag, and any ties around the legs. Pat the turkey dry and transfer it to a large cutting board.
Lift the skin and, using a spoon, gently separate it from the breast meat. Insert 1 heaping tablespoon of the herb butter under the skin on each side of the turkey breast. With a pastry brush, brush the remaining herb butter all over the rest of the skin of the turkey.
Into the cavity of the turkey insert 1 halved celery stalk, 2 onion quarters, and 2 apple quarters.
Prepare a roasting pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with the carrots and the remaining celery, onion, and apple pieces.
Sprinkle the turkey with the salt and tuck the wings underneath the bird. Place the thyme and a few sage leaves into the cavity of the bird (for seasoning). Tie the turkey legs with kitchen twine and let the turkey sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. Transfer the turkey to the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Cook the turkey for 1 hour 30 minutes. Then, using a turkey baster, baste the turkey with juices from the pan. Tent the turkey loosely with foil and continue cooking for 1 hour 30 minutes more. The turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest area of the thigh registers 160°F.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a serving platter lined with parsley. Spoon the cooked vegetables from the pan into a serving bowl.
To make the gravy, in a medium saucepan, bring the drippings to a boil. If, for any reason, you are short on drippings from the roasting pan, supplement with chicken stock to make 2 cups.
In a mason jar with a lid, combine the cold water, flour, and salt. Place the lid on the jar, tighten it, and shake until the flour and water are well incorporated. You don’t want any lumps of flour. Pour the contents of the jar into the boiling broth and whisk well to combine.
Lower the heat to medium and allow the gravy to simmer until it’s thickened to your liking, 2 to 3 minutes. If it’s too thick, add more drippings or stock.
Carve the turkey and serve with gravy.
Side note: The general rule of thumb for defrosting a turkey is 1 day for every 5 pounds. If you have a frozen 14-pound turkey, you’ll need to thaw it in the refrigerator for 2½ to 3 days.
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