“Big Easy” Turkey with Bourbon Gravy

By Monica-2

Ingredients

• 1 (8- to 10-lb.) turkey; neck and giblets reserved for gravy
• 8 tbsp. Plugrá® European-Style Butter, melted
• 1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning*
• 2 cups ShopRite® chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. ShopRite® Imported grapeseed oil
• 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 Simply Organic® Bay Leaf
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
• 13 ⁄4 cups ShopRite® chicken broth
• 1 ⁄4 cup flour
• 1 ⁄3 to 1⁄2 cup Bourbon

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 40mins
Cooking time 250mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; dry well with paper towels. Season inside and out with salt and pepper to taste. Tuck wings under; tie drumsticks with kitchen string. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan.

2. In a small bowl combine butter and Cajun seasoning; brush half on turkey. Pour 2 cups broth into pan. Tent turkey loosely with foil; roast 2 hours. Remove foil and baste with remaining seasoned butter and pan drippings.

Raise heat to 425°F and roast 45 minutes to 1 hour or
until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165°F. Baste with pan drippings, or cover breast with foil as needed, during final minutes of roasting.

3. Meanwhile, for stock for gravy, heat oil in a 2-quart
saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown neck and
giblets, about 5 minutes. Add celery, carrot, onion, bay
leaf, peppercorns, thyme, broth and 4 cups water; bring to a simmer and cook 35 minutes. Pour stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Skim and discard fat. Return stock to saucepan over low heat.

4. Remove roasting pan from oven; transfer turkey
to a platter, leaving juices in pan. Skim fat from
pan juices; reserve ¼ cup fat. Set pan over two
burners on medium-high heat. Add 1 cup stock
and stir 1 minute, scraping up browned bits. Pour
pan juices into stock; simmer.

5. Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed pan whisk
together flour and reserved fat. Cook over
medium-low heat 3 minutes, whisking constantly.
Add hot stock mixture, whisking constantly to
prevent lumps. Add Bourbon and simmer until
thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with
salt and pepper.

* To make your own Cajun seasoning: Combine ¾ tsp. Simply Organic® Paprika, ¾ tsp. Simply Organic® Black Pepper, ½ tsp. Simply Organic® Garlic Powder, ¼ tsp. Simply Organic® Cayenne, ¼ tsp. Simply Organic® Thyme, ¼ tsp. Simply Organic® Oregano, ¼ tsp. Simply Organic® Onion Powder, and a pinch of Simply Organic® Mustard Powder.