Recipe - Roast Turkey With Sage And Sherried Cider Giblet Gravy

12 pound Turkey, neck and giblets
(excluding liver) reserved
for making stock (up to 14)
One half Lemon, cut into 2 wedges
7 lg Fresh sage sprigs
2 sl Firm wholewheat sandwich
bread
One half Granny Smith apple,
quartered lengthwise
One half Onion, quartered lengthwise
1 Stick (One half cup) unsalted
butter, softened
1 cup Water

FOR GRAVY
1 cup Dry Sherry
1 cup Apple cider (preferably
sparkling)
6 tablespoon Allpurpose flour
2 cup Turkey giblet stock or
chicken broth plus
additional stock or broth
for thinning gravy

GARNISH
Assorted fresh sage sprigs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Rinse turkey and pat dry inside and out. Season turkey inside and out with
salt and pepper and pack neck cavity with 1 lemon wedge, 1 sage sprig, and
1 bread slice. Fold neck skin under body and fast en with a skewer. Fill
body cavity with apple, onion, 3 sage sprigs, and remaining lemon wedge and
bread slice and truss turkey.

Rub turkey with remaining 3 sage sprigs and arrange sprigs on a rack set in
a roasting pan. Spread turkey with butter and arrange on rack in roasting
pan. Roast turkey in middle of oven 30 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 325 degrees F. and baste turkey with pan juices. Add
water to roasting pan and roast turkey, basting every 20 minutes, 2 One half to
3 hours more, or until a meat thermometer inserte d in fleshy part of a
thigh registers 180 degrees F and juices run clear when thigh is pierced.
Transfer turkey to a heated platter, reserving juices in roasting pan, and
discard string. Keep turkey warm, covered loosely with foil.

Make gravy:

Skim fat from pan juices, reserving One fourth cup fat, and on top of stove
deglaze pan with Sherry over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits.
Stir in cider. Bring Sherry mixture to a boil and remov e pan from heat.

In a heavy saucepan whisk together reserved fat and flour and cook roux
over moderately low heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add Sherry mixture and 2
cups stock or broth in a stream, whisking to prevent lumping, and simmer,
whisking occasionally, 10 minutes. Whisk in additional stock or broth to
thin gravy if desired. Season gravy with salt and pepper and transfer to a
heated gravy boat.

Garnish turkey with sage.

Yield: 8 serving
Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #324

Recipe by: COOKING LIVE SHOW #CL8770

From: "Angele and Jon Freeman" jfreeman@netusa1.net

Date: Sun, 1 Dec 1996 14:39:49 0500