Thanksgiving

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Set oven rack at the lowest position. Cut off the wing tips and reserve for the gravy. Place turkey on a rack set in a large roasting pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine chopped thyme, sage, rosemary, and oregano. Grate 1 Tbsp. of zest from the orange and set aside for the gravy. Cut the orange in half crosswise and squeeze the juice over the turkey, inside and out. Place orange halves in the main cavity with garlic and all the herb sprigs. Brush turkey with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the chopped herb mixture. Press herbs onto the skin. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen twine.

3. Place turkey in the oven and reduce heat to325 degrees F. Roast for 30 minutes. Add orange juiceand chicken broth to the pan and baste turkeywith pan juices. Continue roasting, bastingand rotating the pan every 30 minutes. Cookfor a total of 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until a thermometerinserted in the thigh registers 165 degrees F to170 degrees F. If the breast is browning too quickly,cover it loosely with foil.

4. Prepare the gravy. While the turkey roasts, place neck, giblets, wing tips, onion, carrot, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Add water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Skim off any foam. Cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. If desired, chop the neck meat and giblets and add to the gravy, or discard. Set this turkey stock aside.

5. When turkey is done, tilt it so the juices from the cavity run into the roasting pan, then transfer turkey to a cutting board. Let rest, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.

6. While turkey rests, place roasting pan across 2 burners over medium heat. Add orange juice and scrape all the brown bits from pan; simmer for 2 minutes. Pour the pan juices into a fat strainer. Add juices to the bowl with the turkey stock; reserve the fat. Measure the broth mixture into the saucepan used to make the stock. Add enough chicken broth to make 5 cups of liquid. Return to the bowl.

7. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved fat to the saucepan and heat over medium heat (if needed, add olive oil to make 1/4 cup). Whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking, for about 2 minutes, until mixture is smooth.

8. Add the 5 cups of liquid in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Stir in the reserved zest. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to moderate, and simmer, whisking frequently, for about 15 minutes, or until the gravy is thickened. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if desired. Pour into a gravy boat.

9. To serve, carve the turkey and arrange the meat on a platter. Pass the gravy separately.

Source: Hannaford fresh Magazine, November - December 2012