Roast Turkey, Shallots & Thyme

Simple, perfect roast turkey just like Grandmother used to make. Seasoned and basted, the flavors of the turkey really stand out. Stuff with your favorite dressing. If you're diligent about basting this bird near the end of roasting, you'll end up with moist, golden results.

Ingredients

• soy sauce  ·  1 tablespoon 
• large shallots, finely chopped to form 1/2 cup  ·  2 whole 
• coarsely chopped thyme, and 10 thyme sprigs  ·  3 tablespoons 
• soft butter  ·  ¼ pound 
• 12-pound fresh turkey  ·  1 whole 
• Amourette Chardonnay  ·  ½ cup 
• chicken stock  ·  2½ cups 
• water  ·  3 cups 
• good red wine like Amour Merlot or Clarissa Vin Rouge  ·  ¼ cup 
• plain flour thoroughly mixed with 1 tablespoon water  ·  2 teaspoons 
• Salt and freshly ground pepper  · 

Instructions

Blend the butter with the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the chopped thyme, ¼ cup of the minced shallots, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Rinse and dry the turkey and retain the neck and giblets for later use. Lift the skin from the turkey breast and coat about 2/3 of the shallot butter over the meat under the skin, then smooth out the skin over the breast. Give the outside of the turkey a massage with the rest of the shallot butter, place 6 of the thyme sprigs inside and heavily salt and pepper the whole bird. .

Into an oven roasting pan add the ½ cup of Chardonnay and ½ cup of the chicken stock. Place the turkey on a rack in an oven preheated to 350° and roast it for about 2 ¼ hours. Check the turkey every 30 minutes; add chicken stock to the pan to keep it moist so the jus will not dry out or burn. Baste the turkey with the jus each time. If the turkey starts getting dark, lightly tent it with foil. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 170°. Then let the turkey rest on a carving board for 30 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, place the turkey neck, giblets, liberally salt and pepper them then add the rest of the thyme sprigs, 3 cups of water and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and reduce further until about 2 cups of giblet broth remain. Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator; leaving about 2 tablespoons of the fat and all the drippings in the pan. Add 1 cup of the giblet broth and the red wine to the roasting pan; simmer, stirring with a fork to break up any solids until reduced to about 1 cup of jus.

Add the contents of the fat separator to a medium saucepan and heat. Add the rest of the shallots and cook over medium to high heat, stirring, until softened. Add the rest of the chopped thyme and cook for another minute. Stir in the jus and the rest of the giblet broth and simmer. Slowly stir in the flour and water mixture and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper and continue to stir with a fork until it reaches a medium thick consistency.

SERVING

Carve the turkey and serve with oven roasted potatoes, butternut squash and greens, using a gravy boat for the Shallot + Thyme gravy. Enjoy with our Chardonnay or Vin Rouge.