GMA Recipe: Wild Turkey with Lemon-Buttermilk-Madeira Gravy

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Wild Turkey with Lemon-Buttermilk-Madeira Gravy
From chef and author Susan Wyler
1996

Ingredients

1 wild turkey, 8 to 10 lbs.

2 lemons

1 1/2 tsps. coarse (kosher) salt

1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

3 garlic cloves, bruised

1 medium onion, peeled and quartered

3 large sprigs of fresh winter savory or 3/4 tsp. dried

3 large sprigs of fresh thyme, preferably lemon thyme, or 3/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves

11 tbsps. (1 stick plus 3 tbsps.) unsalted butter

2 c. turkey stock or homemade chicken stock or reduced-sodium canned broth

3 tbsps. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. dry Madeira

1/4 c. buttermilk

Wild turkey has a wonderful, unique flavor, but you can also use this recipe for commercial, store-bought turkey. Follow package directions for length of cooking time.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rinse the turkey well until no blood runs from the cavity and blot it dry inside and out with paper towels. Quarter one of the lemons; cut the other lemon in half. Rub the outside of the turkey with one lemon half, then use the same half to rub the inside of the bird, squeezing to release the juice. Season the bird generously inside and out with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon quarters, garlic, onion, savory, and thyme. Set the remaining lemon half aside. Truss the large cavity closed and tie the legs together. Set the turkey breast side down on a rack in a large shallow roasting pan. Roast for 1/2 hour.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt 1 stick of the butter in 1 c. of the stock. Turn the turkey over and baste the breast with the stock-and-butter mixture. Tent the breast with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degreesF and roast for 1 1/4 hours, basting every 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to roast, basting every 20 minutes, for 1 hour longer (follow package directions for length of cooking time for commercial, store-bought turkey) or until there is no trace of pink when the thigh is pierced near the bone. Remove the turkey to a carving board and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a bowl or a gravy separator. Skim off or pour off as much fat as possible. Add the remaining 3 tbsps. butter to the roasting pan and set over moderate heat. Sprinkle on the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the Madeira and bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the degreased pan drippings and the remaining turkey stock and bring to a boil. cook, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the buttermilk and return to a boil, whisking until smooth. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon half into the gravy and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Carve the turkey and pass the gravy on the side. Serve 6 to 8.

Recipes from Cooking From a Country Farmhouse by Susan Wyler (copyright 1993 Susan Wyler).