Rosemary Roasted Turkey with Gravy - turkey

Method

• 1.
• For the turkey: Let the turkey sit out for about 1 hour to come to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Remove the packet of neck and giblets and set aside.
• Cut away any fatty pieces near the cavity or neck of the bird and discard.
• Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper inside and out.
• Combine the butter and chopped rosemary.
• Loosen the skin over the breast of the turkey and push half of the butter mixture under the skin and over the breast meat.
• Rub the skin of the turkey with the rest of the butter mixture.
• Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the lemons and rosemary sprigs.
• Tie the legs together with twine.
• Tuck the wings under the body of the turkey and place it, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.
• 2.
• Roast the turkey until it begins to turn golden, about 25 minutes.
• Loosely tent the breast with foil, then reduce the oven temperature to 325F.
• Continue cooking, basting the turkey with pan drippings every 30 minutes, until the internal temperature near the thigh joint reaches about 155F.
• Remove the foil and continue roasting until it reaches 165F., about 30 minutes longer.
• Transfer the turkey and rack to a cutting board and let rest about 30 minutes while you make the gravy.
• 3.
• For the gravy: Using a fat separator or spoon, remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the drippings in the roasting pan.
• Transfer the drippings and any brown bits from the bottom of the pan to a large straight-sided skillet.
• Set over medium-high heat.
• Add the giblets and neck and cook until nicely browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add the carrot, celery, onion, sage and rosemary.
• Lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the marsala, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
• Simmer until the marsala is reduced by half.
• Slowly sprinkle in 1/4 cup of the flour, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
• Cook, stirring, 4 minutes.
• Pour in the chicken broth and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the gravy is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Taste the gravy and add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan; discard the solids.
• Bring the gravy to a boil over medium heat.
• Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour with the butter in a small bowl until it forms a paste.
• Drop pea-size pieces of the mixture into the gravy, whisking vigorously to incorporate between additions, until all the butter mixture is incorporated.
• Continue cooking until the gravy thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes more.
• 4.
• To serve: Present the turkey whole on a platter garnished with the lemons from inside the cavity.
• To carve, first remove the wishbone, then legs, thighs and wings, and thinly slice the breast meat on an angle.
• Serve with the gravy on the side.