Every year we have our "American Holiday" for the expat community. Come November I go to the butcher early in the month and order a whole turkey - unheard of in Israel - so that I am sure we can accommodate everyone who wants to come for Thanksgiving dinner. It is great fun. We make a table out of plywood and a couple of extra doors. We borrow chairs from the neighbors. And at the center of the table is the turkey.
Some years it is stuffed with cornbread dressing (listed separately), some years with plain bread stuffing (listed separately). Either way, the dressing takes on the flavor of the bird and the bird takes on the flavor of the dressing. Both make for a beautiful repast and great gravy.
BT's Roast Turkey and Gravy
Ingredients:
1 whole turkey - 20 pounds (9 kilos) - preferably kosher and free range
kosher salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, margarine or schmaltz
Turkey stuffing or Cornbread stuffing
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons bourbon
Filtered water for thinning
Day before roasting:
Remove neck, liver and gizzard and refrigerate
Wash turkey inside and out
Remove any pin feathers
Salt turkey with kosher salt inside and out
Place in roasting pan and leave in refrigerator overnight
Day of roasting:
Remove turkey from refrigerator
Drain any liquids that have accumulated
Stuff turkey - both cavities and sew up with butcher's string
Truss turkey
Place in roasting pan breast side up
Cover bread area with fat
Cover turkey with aluminum foil - leaving a vent for steam
Roast at 350 F. (170 C.) for 3 hours
Remove foil. Raise temperature to 400 F. (200 C.) and brown for 5 minutes
Remove pan from oven and let rest 30 minutes on cutting board
Leave juices in pan
Add 3 tablespoons flour to pan
Make paste
Put roaster on burner and bring flame up to medium
Cook paste 1 minute
Add bourbon and 1 cup (240 ml) filtered water
Stir until gravy begins to thicken
Add 1 cup (240 ml) water at a time until gravy coats the back of a spoon
Add salt and pepper to gravy per taste
Remove stuffing
Carve
Voila!
Enjoy! !בתיאב
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