Your Turkey and its Gravy from Howie with love

This turkey is roasted with a mixture of herbs and olive oil under the skin and all over the bird. Use small amounts of dried herbs along with the fresh herbs for more flavor. Use fresh dill, rosemary, and chives, along with about 1/2 teaspoon each of dried leaf marjoram and thyme.

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey, about 14 pounds
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 large potato, quartered
• sprigs of fresh herbs

Preparation:

Heat oven to 450°. Wash turkey inside and out; pat dry. Combine the chopped herbs with olive oil. Gently separate the skin from the breast and rub a few tablespoons of the herb mixture under the skin as far back as you can reach. Rub the remaining mixture all over the bird. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Put pototato and onion chunks, and herb sprigs in the stuffing cavity. Cover wing tips with small pieces of foil. Tent foil loosely over the top of the turkey and reduce heat to 325° and continue roasting for about 3 1/2 hours longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°

Gravy recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 to 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• turkey drippings

Preparation:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. The mixture will be paste-like. Whisk in 3 cups of the chicken broth until smooth and cook, stirring, until thickened. Stir in the pepper. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until the turkey comes out of the oven. After the turkey is removed from the roasting pan, pour drippings in to a bowl or fat separator. Set the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Stir chicken broth into the roasting pan, scraping up browned bits in the roasting pan. Stir in about 1/3 cup of the turkey drippings (after you have skimmed or separated and discarded the fat). Stir in the thickened broth mixture and heat, stirring constantly. Taste and add more drippings or more broth, as needed.