Day 101: Thanksgiving Turkey with Stuffing and Gravy

Before you roll your eyes and say, that’s too much work, let me start by saying it only took me half an hour of prep for the turkey.  Sure it took five hours to cook, but I was around the house anyway!?  Seriously!  Baking a turkey is one of the easiest things you can make, and when it’s done right, tastes awesome!

So today I share with you the recipe for turkey I’ve been making my whole life.  It’s simple, easy to make, and incredibly tasty for something so basic.  It’s comfort food at it’s best.

First off let me start by saying that there is something you need for this recipe, other than the turkey, and it’s an herb blend called Herbs de Provence.  It is a French style herb blend that is as essential for this dish as the turkey is.  If you don’t have it, don’t bother to start cooking.  It’s that important.

When you go shopping for Herbs de Provence, try to go to a spice shop where you can buy in bulk, as it tends to be cheaper.  You’re going to need a lot of the stuff, so getting it cheaper is not a bad idea.

For the stuffing, as you can see, the ingredients are ridiculously spartan.  There isn’t much too it, but when done, it packs quite a punch.

For extra flavour, don’t forget to smear the bird with butter, salt, and Herbs de Provence (can’t get enough of that stuff!).

Okay, now the third thing you need (aside from the turkey and the Herbs) is a digital cooking thermometer!  Figuring out how long to cook your turkey based on weight is the best recipe for an overcooked bird.  Once a turkey reaches a certain temperature, it looses it’s moisture and then it’s awful to eat.  The only way to avoid this is using a digital thermometer.  This way you know the bird is safely cooked, but not dry as dust.

When it comes to gravy, it all starts with a good roux.  This is where the flavour and thickening power comes from.

You want to cook it until it looks a bit like dark peanut butter.

It'll get even darker once you whisk in the broth.

So that’s my turkey recipe.  I make this every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Now you can too.