Tonight’s Recipe: Roasted Turkey with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

12.5 lb fresh turkey, rinsed, neck and giblets removed

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

paprika

turkey herb mix

4 cloves garlic

butter

Preheat oven to 425. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and tuck wings under. Add 2 tsps kosher salt, 2 tsp turkey herbs, garlic, and 1/2 tsp pepper to inside of bird. Sprinkle the skin with kosher salt, pepper, a teensy bit of the herb mix, and paprika. Put bird in oven and let cook for 25 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325. Continue cooking for about 15 min per pound. Every 45 min or so, rub the skin with the butter. After the turkey reaches an internal temp of 165, remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes

4 Russet potatoes

4 tbsps butter

3/4 c. 2% milk

Murray River Pink Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Peel and slice potatoes to 1/2 inch thick. Put in a pan of room temperature water, bring to a boil and continue to boil until potatoes become soft and edges start to crumble. Drain, return to pan. A potato ricer gives the best texture, but in a pinch a slotted spoon will mash just fine. Add butter and milk, stir. Season to taste.

Turkey Gravy

Drippings from roasted turkey

3-5 tbsps flour

25-30 oz of turkey stock or water

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Let drippings reach room temperature. In a large shaker container, start with 3 tbsp flour and 25 oz stock if you have it or water. Shake, shake, shake until blended. Add to drippings and stir, stir, stir with a wooden spoon. Start with medium heat, and increase as gravy begins to thicken. Wait until gravy boils and is fully thickened, then add your additional flour/stock in a similar fashion if necessary to thicken. Season to taste.

I’m a bigger fan of turkey than chicken, or maybe it’s just that chicken is so omni-present in our American lives. Plus, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so why not bring it out more often. And after the week my friends are having, I have a whole lot to be thankful for. Meet Ike, if you need to feel sobered.

So a few things here, one might ask, “Why the Murray River Pink Salt, Lane?” Well, I have a bit of a passion about salts for purposes. And the Murray River Pink Salt is a flaky salt that I particularly like to use when finishing heated items, as it’s just not as coarse as kosher salt. And there’s the whole thing about it aiding the inland salinity problem in Austrailia. Also, “Why Russets and not waxy potatos?” It’s a texture thing. Russets yeild a fluffier mashed potato, which I personally prefer.

Another thing I’m working on this year is ways to reduce waste. I cook a ton, mainly from scratch, but useful things find their way to my garbage. I’m saving my turkey neck for a stock I’m going to make in a couple of weeks. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Be thankful. Love Life. Promote Peace.