Roast Turkey with Sage Butter
Butter:
8 slices bacon (about 1/2 pound)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 3 teaspoons dried
Turkey and Gravy:
1 16-pound turkey
3 cups chopped leeks
(white and pale green parts only; about 2 medium)
8 large fresh sage sprigs
3 bay leaves, crumbled
4 1/2 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth
Fresh sage and parsley sprigs
To Prepare Butter:
Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp. Transfer
bacon to paper towels and drain. Crumble bacon finely. Mix butter, sage and bacon in
medium bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover
and chill. (Bring to room temperature before using.)
To Prepare Turkey and Gravy:
Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Season cavity with salt and pepper. Place leeks, 8
sage sprigs and bay leaves in cavity. Slide hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen
skin. Spread 1/3 cup sage butter over breast meat under skin. Place turkey on rack
set in large roasting pan. Rub two tablespoons of sage butter over outside of turkey.
Set aside 1/3 cup butter for gravy; reserve remainder for basting. (Can be made 1 day
ahead. Cover, chill. Allow to stand at room temperature 1 hour before
continuing.)Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350?F. Pour 1/3 cup
broth over turkey. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of inner
thigh registers 180?F. basting every 30 minutes with 1/3 cup broth and occasionally
brushing with sage butter, about 3 hours. Transfer turkey to platter; tent with foil. Let
stand 30 minutes. Remove rack from pan. Pour pan juices into large glass measuring
cup. Spoon off fat; discard. Pour juices back into pan. Set pan over 2 burners set on
high heat. Add 2 cups broth. Boil until liquid is reduced to 2 cups, scraping up
browned bits, about 10 minutes. Whisk in reserved 1/3 cup sage butter. Season with
pepper. Transfer gravy to bowl. (This will create a slightly thivkened gravy. To thicken
more, sprinkle 1 teaspoon guar or xanthan gum into mixture, stirring constantly until
thick.) Uncover platter. Garnish with sage and parsley. Serve turkey with gravy.
Serves 12. 1/2 gram net carbohydrate per serving with gravy.
