Traditional Roasted Turkey
 
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 (10- to 12-pound) turkey, thawed and giblets removed
  • 3¾ cups chicken broth or stock, divided
  • 2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and divided
  • 2 medium yellow onions, cut into wedges and divided
  • 3 celery stalks, halved crosswise and divided
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1¼ teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
  • 4 sprigs fresh sage
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
  • Garnish: fresh sage, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, roasted garlic
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray rack of a roasting pan with cooking spray. Place rack in pan.
  2. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Pour ½ cup broth in prepared pan; add carrot, half of onion, and half of celery. Place turkey on prepared rack. Rub turkey with oil, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stuff turkey cavity with sage, rosemary, thyme, remaining onion, and remaining celery. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Loosely cover with foil.
  3. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Uncover and bake until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°, about 2 hours and 15 minutes more, adding up to ¾ cup broth to pan to keep drippings from scorching. Loosely cover with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary.
  4. Remove from oven, and let stand for 20 minutes. Discard onion, carrot, and celery. Pour ½ cup broth into pan; scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan. Strain pan drippings through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart measuring cup; add enough remaining broth to drippings to equal 2½ cups. Let stand for 5 minutes; skim fat from broth mixture.
  5. In a medium saucepan, place flour; whisk in drippings, vinegar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently.
  6. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining ½ teaspoon salt, if needed. Serve gravy with turkey. Garnish with sage, thyme, rosemary, and roasted garlic, if desired.
Recipe by Taste of the South at https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/traditional-roasted-turkey/