"No-Recipe" Thanksgiving Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 best-quality turkey
- olive oil
- vermouth
- salt and fresh pepper
- paprika
- garlic
- onion
- celery
- carrot
- mushrooms
- fennel bulb
- fresh thyme and bay leaf
- flour
- lemon
- chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Wash the turkey inside and out and dry thoroughly.
- Chop half the vegetables very fine, then toss with salt, pepper, the chopped herbs, and some wine, and the lemon juice you’ve squeezed from the lemon.
- Stuff most of this mixture under the skin of the turkey by lifting gently with the back of your hands and pushing it under the breasts and thighs.
- Put the rest inside the cavity, along with the squeezed lemon halves.
- Chop the rest of the vegetables roughly and lay them in a large roasting pan. Coat the bird in oil, then sprinkle on lots of salt, pepper, paprika, and finely chopped garlic.
- Place the turkey breast side down on the vegetables, pour in enough wine to cover the bottom of the pan, and roast until very brown. Turn over and roast until very brown.
- Test with a thermometer plunged into the thigh, or by cutting and peeking, or by feel. If it’s too raw, roast longer; if you’ve overcooked it, you’ll know better next time. Check early and pull out just before you’re sure it's done—meat continues to cook outside the oven.
- Remove the turkey and place the roasting pan on a high flame. Add a lot of vermouth and boil and scrape until the pan bottom is clean. Pour through a colander into a measuring cup, let the fat separate, then skim it mostly off. Pour juices back into a saucepan, add a little flour or cornstarch, and stir over high heat until it begins to thicken. Then you pour in enough stock to serve your guests, and adjust with salt and pepper.
- Slice the turkey after it’s rested 15 minutes or so, then serve with the sauce.
Notes
I use a kosher, free-range heritage breed turkey. It costs like 90 bucks a pound, but it lived a good life, and it tastes great. How long does it take to cook? About 3-4 hours. A nice brown skin is a good indication that it’s time to start checking.
