Roast turkey with extra meaty gravy

Prep: 1 hour Cook: 4 hours Makes: 8 to 10 servings

Adapted from Barbara Kafka’s “Roasting: A Simple Art” (William Morrow & Co., 1995)

1 (15-pound) turkey, thawed, with giblets (liver discarded)

4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, low-sodium if not, divided

3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed 2 medium onions, chopped 1 carrot, peeled, chopped 4 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

1 cup dry white wine 3 tablespoons butter

1⁄ 4 cup flour

2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves (optional)

Black pepper

1⁄ lemon (optional) 2

1. Place turkey on a large cutting board. Cut off wingtips, remove giblets and set both aside in a large bowl.

2. Remove legs, thighs and wings and set aside. Set turkey upright and carefully cut away the backbone. Divide the backbone into three pieces crosswise; set aside with the giblets. You should be left with a whole turkey breast. Place legs, thighs, wings and breast in the fridge while you start the broth.

3. Place backbone pieces skin-side down in a large skillet, preferably not a nonstick skillet. Add the wingtips and giblets. Turn the heat to medium, and cook until the fat from the skin starts to render. Brown the pieces for a few minutes on each side. Transfer to a medium-size saucepan. Pour fat out of the skillet and return pan to the burner over medium heat. When hot, pour in 1 cup stock. Stir with a wooden spoon to dislodge any browned bits. Pour this liquid into the saucepan.

4. Pour enough of the stock into the saucepan to cover the turkey parts. If parts aren’t covered even after adding all the stock, add enough water to barely cover them. Add garlic cloves. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until giblets are very tender, adding 1 cup of water if the liquid reduces enough to expose the turkey parts, 2 hours. Remove giblets and set aside. Continue simmering, adding more water if necessary, another 1 to 2 hours. Do not season with salt.

5. Meanwhile, adjust one oven rack to the bottom position, and put the other one in the top third position. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Add one chopped onion and half a chopped carrot to a large roasting pan. Season legs, thighs and wings on all sides with 2 teaspoons salt; place them on top of the vegetables. Add the other chopped onion and the rest of the carrot to a large oven-safe skillet or iron skillet. Season the whole breast with remaining 2 teaspoons salt and place on top of the vegetables in the skillet.

6. Place the roasting pan on the top rack and the skillet on the bottom rack of the oven. Cook, 45 minutes. Check pieces with a digital thermometer. Legs, thighs and wings need to get to at least 175 degrees. They might be close to done, but could need 15 to 20 minutes more. The breast needs to register 160 in its thickest point; it will probably take another 30 minutes.

7. When dark meat is done, transfer thighs, legs and wings to a platter. Carefully pour any liquid through a wire mesh sieve into a fat separator or medium-size bowl, leaving some of the vegetables behind. Place the roasting pan over two burners set over medium-high heat. Cook until bits start to brown in the pan, but before they burn. Pour in ½ cup white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits. When liquid reduces by half, pour liquid through a wire mesh sieve into the fat separator or the bowl of drippings. When the breast is done cooking, repeat this process of deglazing with the skillet.

8. Using the fat separator, or a spoon if you used a bowl, remove as much of the fat from the liquid as possible.

9. Melt butter in a medium-size saucepan. Add flour and stir with a whisk until roux turns golden brown. Slowly drizzle in the liquid, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent clumps. When all the liquid has been added, add thyme sprigs (optional). Bring gravy to a simmer and cook until it reduces to about 3 cups. It should thickly coat the back of a spoon when dipped in.

10. Only now season the gravy with more salt, if necessary, adding ¼ teaspoon at a time and tasting before adding more. Add minced sage and freshly ground pepper to taste. If using, chop up giblets and add in. Another optional addition is to add a squeeze of lemon juice. Discard thyme sprigs before serving.

11. Slice turkey and serve with the amount of gravy you deem appropriate.

Nutrition information per serving (for 10 servings: 681 calories, 25 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 395 mg cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 105 g protein, 1,201 mg sodium, 0 g fiber