Roast Turkey with Mashed Potatoes and Vermouth Gravy
By Amanda LuchtelPublished on September 3, 2024
Time
4½ hours
Yield
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Prebrined turkeys are treated with salt (either injected with a salt solution, as with self-basting turkeys, or salted directly, as with kosher turkeys) to improve their ability to retain moisture during cooking. You can brine a 12- to 14-pound natural turkey if you prefer; the cooking instructions remain the same. If you can't find dry vermouth, you can substitute a dry white wine or use chicken broth instead. We developed this recipe using our winning roasting pan, the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 16″ Roasting Pan with Rack, but you can also use a heavy-duty disposable aluminum pan (look for rectangular disposable pans, as V-racks don't always fit in oval pans) and a V-rack; place the disposable pan on a rimmed baking sheet for extra support. We recommend using a probe thermometer with an alarm to determine doneness precisely and avoid opening the oven too often.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine melted butter, 2 tablespoons salt, herbes de Provence, and pepper in small bowl. Pat turkey dry inside and out with paper towels. Tuck turkey wings behind back and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Rub butter mixture evenly over turkey.
- Bring broth to boil in large saucepan. Combine potatoes, garlic, bay leaves, reserved turkey neck, and remaining 2½ tablespoons salt in roasting pan. Nestle V-rack into potato mixture, settling rack against bottom of pan. Pour hot broth over potato mixture.
- Transfer turkey, breast side up, to rack and cover breast withfoil. Roast turkey for 45 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Discard foil and continue to roast until skin is deep golden brown, breast registers 160 degrees, and thighs register 175 degrees, 1¾ to 2¾ hours longer. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- While turkey rests and potato mixture is still hot, discard turkey neck and bay leaves. Set colander in large bowl. Drain potatoesand garlic in colander, reserving broth in bowl. Immediately return potatoes, garlic, and ½ cup reserved broth to roasting pan. Scatter 10 tablespoons butter over potato mixture. Mash potato mixture with potato masher until mostly smooth. Cover potatoes tightly with foil and set aside to keep warm. Reserve 5 cups broth for gravy; discard any remaining broth or reserve for another use.
- Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in clean, dry large saucepan over medium heat. Add flourand cook, whisking constantly, until straw-colored, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add vermouth and reserved broth, whisking constant-ly until smooth. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to simmer, and cook, whisking often, until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, season with salt and pepper to taste; cover to keep warm. (Gravy will continue to thicken slightly as it sits.)
- Microwave cream in liquid measuring cup until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir hot cream into potatoes until fully combined. Adjust consistency with extra hot cream as needed, season with salt and pepper to taste, and transfer to serving bowl; coverto keep warm.
- Carve turkey and arrange on serving platter. Whisk any accumulated juices from carving board into gravy; reheat gravy as needed. Serve turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Time
4½ hoursYield
Serves 10 to 12Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Our goal of a streamlined trio of turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy sharing an ingredient list became a three-in-one holiday meal. For golden-brown turkey skin and tons of flavor, we rubbed the skin with a mixture of melted butter, herbes de Provence, salt, and ample pepper. We chose versatile Yukon Gold potatoes for their tender, buttery texture and rich flavor. Slicing the potatoes ¼ inch thick helped ensure even cooking, and adding a measured amount of hot chicken broth to the potatoes gave them a jump start and extra poultry flavor. A convenient prebrined turkey resulted in well-flavored, tender, juicy meat without the fuss of brining at home, which takes time and lots of fridge space to hold the brining vessel. While the turkey cooked over the potatoes, it rendered fat and released its juices right into the spuds, adding even more flavor to them. We drained the potatoes (holding on to the fortified cooking liquid for gravy) and mashed them right in the roasting pan with plenty of butter and heavy cream for added richness. For the gravy, we made a golden roux with flour and butter before whisking in herbal dry vermouth and our poultry-flavored cooking liquid.
Before You Begin
Prebrined turkeys are treated with salt (either injected with a salt solution, as with self-basting turkeys, or salted directly, as with kosher turkeys) to improve their ability to retain moisture during cooking. You can brine a 12- to 14-pound natural turkey if you prefer; the cooking instructions remain the same. If you can't find dry vermouth, you can substitute a dry white wine or use chicken broth instead. We developed this recipe using our winning roasting pan, the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 16″ Roasting Pan with Rack, but you can also use a heavy-duty disposable aluminum pan (look for rectangular disposable pans, as V-racks don't always fit in oval pans) and a V-rack; place the disposable pan on a rimmed baking sheet for extra support. We recommend using a probe thermometer with an alarm to determine doneness precisely and avoid opening the oven too often.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine melted butter, 2 tablespoons salt, herbes de Provence, and pepper in small bowl. Pat turkey dry inside and out with paper towels. Tuck turkey wings behind back and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Rub butter mixture evenly over turkey.
- Bring broth to boil in large saucepan. Combine potatoes, garlic, bay leaves, reserved turkey neck, and remaining 2½ tablespoons salt in roasting pan. Nestle V-rack into potato mixture, settling rack against bottom of pan. Pour hot broth over potato mixture.
- Transfer turkey, breast side up, to rack and cover breast withfoil. Roast turkey for 45 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Discard foil and continue to roast until skin is deep golden brown, breast registers 160 degrees, and thighs register 175 degrees, 1¾ to 2¾ hours longer. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- While turkey rests and potato mixture is still hot, discard turkey neck and bay leaves. Set colander in large bowl. Drain potatoesand garlic in colander, reserving broth in bowl. Immediately return potatoes, garlic, and ½ cup reserved broth to roasting pan. Scatter 10 tablespoons butter over potato mixture. Mash potato mixture with potato masher until mostly smooth. Cover potatoes tightly with foil and set aside to keep warm. Reserve 5 cups broth for gravy; discard any remaining broth or reserve for another use.
- Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in clean, dry large saucepan over medium heat. Add flourand cook, whisking constantly, until straw-colored, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add vermouth and reserved broth, whisking constant-ly until smooth. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to simmer, and cook, whisking often, until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, season with salt and pepper to taste; cover to keep warm. (Gravy will continue to thicken slightly as it sits.)
- Microwave cream in liquid measuring cup until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir hot cream into potatoes until fully combined. Adjust consistency with extra hot cream as needed, season with salt and pepper to taste, and transfer to serving bowl; coverto keep warm.
- Carve turkey and arrange on serving platter. Whisk any accumulated juices from carving board into gravy; reheat gravy as needed. Serve turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy.
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