Turkey Gravy

I have to admit that I haven't made this in a year. So today in order to post an accurate recipe I made my Thanksgiving gravy. This recipe is fun to make and the aroma from the roasted vegetables is wonderful.

2lb Turkey wings
5T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion - not peeled, cut in half (or 1/4 if large)
4 large carrots - not peeled, scrubbed and cut in 1/3
2 whole garlic heads - not peeled - top cut off to expose the garlic
4 sage leaves
4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
16 whole peppercorns
4T butter
1/4 - 1/2C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 qt chicken stock
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Heat oven to 375F.
1. Cut all of your vegetables and set them aside. Wash your turkey wings off and use a paper towel to dry them.
2. Spray inside of roasting pan with non stick spray. Add the vegetables, peppercorns, and herbs to the pan. Rub turkey wings with olive oil. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Put turkey wings on top of the vegetables. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Roast in the oven until the wings are golden brown, about 45-60 minutes.
3. When the wings are done put the roaster on your stove over medium heat. Remove the turkey wings, and set them aside to rest. Tent them with foil to keep them warm.
4. Make a roux: Add the butter, stir until melted. Depending on how much juice you were able to get from the turkey wings you may need to add an additional 1.5T of olive oil. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and scrape up any of the cooked on bits left in the pan (note any burned bits will make your gravy bitter). Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Once you have the flour all mixed in with the vegetables, gradually add the chicken stock to the pan, whisking well to work out any lumps. Add turkey wings back into the roaster. Simmer the gravy until thickened and well developed in flavor. Remove turkey wings. Strain through a mesh strainer. Adjust seasonings as needed. Serve.

Note: In order to get more nutrients in my gravy after it is all cooked I put the gravy in the blender with some of the cooked carrots, onion and garlic and puree it smooth.
Freezing: You can make your gravy ahead of time and freeze it. The day before you need it thaw in fridge. When you need it heat to a full rolling boil. Gravy will freeze for 6 months.

Best Mashed Potatoes

Don't fill a pan more than half way with your potatoes. You want room for them to cook. Other than that how many you cook is up to you. This may help: 1 pound = 4C diced = 1 3/4C Mashed.

Ingredients:
Potatoes (russets are best for mashing because they are light and fluffy)
1/2 and 1/2
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Peel and cut your potatoes into a large dice. Add them to a large stock pot. Cover the potatoes with 1/2 and 1/2, or you can use whole milk with some cream. Add a little salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20-minutes, or until done.
Once the potatoes are done drain them but, reserve the boiling liquid. Put the drained potatoes back into the pot, then add some of the liquid back in to mash them with.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

I used to always buy canned cranberry sauce. Then I met my friend Angel at Edwards AFB. She told me how easy and tasty it is to make your own. Since then I have never gone back to canned.

2 8-ounce packages cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 orange, zest cut into strips and juiced (or 2T zest and 1/4C juice)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens. This takes about 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chill. Remove cinnamon stick before serving.

Chestnut Stuffing

I adore this recipe. This recipe reminds me of the recipe my mother used to make. I found it in a 2005 edition of Martha Stewart Living.
Serves 10-12
You will need to dry the bread cubes overnight; transfer them to a resealable plastic bags until you're ready to make the stuffing. I actually store my bread in brown paper sacks because the plastic bags holds in the moisture.

2 loaves good-quality white bread, cut into 3/4" cubes (about 20 cups) Note: this is not Wonder bread. This is bread you buy from the bakery that actually will dry out in a day.
1 1/2 pounds fresh chestnuts (4C), scored with an X
3/4C unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
4 small onions, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 3C)
1 bunch celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 4C)
3T finely chopped fresh sage
5C homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
1T Kosher salt
3C coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley.
Fresh ground pepper.

Roast Turkey

This recipe is from Alton Brown. I have used it two different times and had great success with this recipe. It has produced the best turkey ever for me. I hope if you try the recipe you will have the same success I have had.

1 14-16 pound frozen young turkey (thawed)

For the brine:
1C kosher salt (this is NOT table salt)
1/2 C light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1T black peppercorns
1/2T allspice berries
1/2T candied ginger
1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 C water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 sage leaves
Canola oil