Clementine-Salted Turkey with Redeye Gravy

Recipes by Jeanne Thiel Kelley, Matt and Ted Lee and Jamie Purviance, from the November 2009 Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appétit magazine.

Clementine-Salted Turkey with Redeye Gravy

A little bit of clementine peel adds a citrus note to the turkey. The smoky, slightly bitter southern-style gravy is terrific drizzled over the meat or over mashed potatoes. For a pretty garnish, decorate the platter with whole clementines.

Serves 14-16.

INGREDIENTS:
Turkey:
1/3 cup coarse kosher salt
12 small clementines or tangerines; peel finely grated (3 tablespoons); fruit wrapped, chilled
1 20- to 22-pound turkey, rinsed, patted dry; neck, heart, and gizzard reserved for Turkey Stock (see below for recipe)
2 large onions, quartered
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth, divided

Gravy:
Turkey Stock (see below for recipe)
4 ounces country ham, Serrano ham, or thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
6 Tbsp. all purpose flour
2 cups freshly brewed coffee

Instructions:

Turkey: Rub salt and clementine peel together in small bowl. Sprinkle some seasoned salt in main and neck cavities of turkey. Place turkey in large roasting pan. Reserve 2 teaspoons clementine salt for roasting; sprinkle remaining salt all over turkey. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate turkey overnight.

Rinse turkey thoroughly inside and out; pat dry. Rinse large roasting pan and wipe dry.

Place rack in pan; place turkey on rack and let stand uncovered at room temperature 1 hour.

Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 375°F. Tuck turkey wing tips under.

Cut 6 clementines into quarters (reserve remaining clementines for another use). Stuff cut clementines and onions into main cavity. Tie legs together loosely. Spread butter all over turkey. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon pepper and reserved 2 teaspoons clementine salt. Pour 3 cups chicken broth into pan.

Roast turkey 45 minutes; baste with pan juices. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Roast turkey until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, basting occasionally with pan juices, adding more broth to maintain liquid level, and covering loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 3 3/4 hours.

Transfer turkey to platter; tent with foil and let rest 30 to 45 minutes (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).

Gravy: Pour juices from roasting pan into large measuring cup. Spoon off fat that rises to surface into 1-cup measuring cup. Add enough Turkey Stock to degreased pan juices to measure 5 cups. If necessary, add enough fat reserved from Turkey Stock to fat from pan juices to measure 1/2 cup.

Heat 1/2 cup fat in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ham and sauté 3 minutes. Whisk in flour; cook 1 minute. Whisk in 5 cups broth mixture and coffee. Boil until gravy is reduced to 6 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with pepper.
Serve turkey with gravy.

Turkey Stock

Makes about 4 cups

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 pounds turkey wings and necks
Reserved neck, heart, and gizzard from turkey
2 carrots, sliced into rounds
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 small onions, cut into wedges

Instructions:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Working in batches, add turkey parts and sauté until deep brown, about 15 minutes per batch. Return turkey parts to pot. Add vegetables and 18 cups water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer stock 3 hours.

Strain into large bowl. If necessary, return stock to same pot and cook until reduced to 4 cups stock (not including layer of fat). Cool stock slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled up to 4 days. Remove and reserve fat layer on top before using.

Nutritional Information:

One serving contains the following: (Analysis is based on 16 servings)

Calories (kcal) 412.7
%Calories from Fat 46.8
Fat (g) 21.5
Saturated Fat (g) 8.3
Cholesterol (mg) 150.6
Carbohydrates (g) 3.9
Dietary Fiber (g) 0.3
Total Sugars (g) 1.4
Net Carbs (g) 3.6
Protein (g) 47.9

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© 2009 Bon Appétit. Used with permission