Description
This Turkey with White Wine & Truffle Gravy is a twist on tradition that sings with earthy flavor. Turkey is dry-brined for 24 hours, rubbed down with a truffle butter spread, and then roasted to perfection. The gravy is flavored with more truffle and white wine for brightness. It is a delicious spin on the classic!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Brine:
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 (11-lb) whole turkey, completely defrosted
For the Turkey:
-
3 tablespoons softened truffle butter (this is my favorite)
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (I do a mix of sage and thyme)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
For the Gravy:
- 1/2 cup of the pan drippings, solids strained and discarded
- 3 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock (I recommend low sodium for this)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons truffle butter
- 1 teaspoon truffle oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Brine:
- First, make sure your turkey is completely thawed – this can take a few days, so plan accordingly. The idea is to brine the turkey for at least 24 hours. I usually begin thawing my turkey 3 days before Thanksgiving, and I brine it the entire 24 hours beforehand (so, typically starting on Wednesday morning). To brine a turkey, it is also important to keep in mind the fridge space required.
- At least 24 hours before you plan to roast your turkey, pat it completely dry with paper towels and place it on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. I like to line the baking sheet with a thick layer of paper towels as well, as a lot of moisture will drip off the turkey as it brines.
- Combine the salt and sugar in a small bowl and rub it all over the turkey, making sure to sprinkle some inside the cavity and in between the skin and the breast meat.
- Place the turkey in the fridge completely uncovered. I recommend brining for at least 24 hours, but you can leave it in the fridge for up to 2 days, if your schedule and fridge space permits.
For the Turkey:
- One hour before you are ready to roast the turkey, remove it from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature. Generally speaking, I do this roughly 3-3.5 hours before I plan to serve dinner. This allows adequate time for it to sit at room temperature, roast until done, and then rest after cooking.
- There is no need to rinse the brine off the turkey. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F.
- In a small bowl, combine the truffle butter, garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste.
- Loosen the skin from the breast meat gently and spread a few tablespoons of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly all over the skin. Sprinkle the outside with more salt and pepper.
- Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 325°F. The high temperature will help to crisp and brown the skin, but you don’t want to roast the meat at that high of a temperature for the whole time.
- Roast the turkey for 2-2.5 hours, or until the skin is crisped and brown and the internal temperature registers 160°F when inserted into the thickest areas of the breast (the temperature will increase to 165°F while the turkey is resting).
- When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
For the Gravy:
- Strain the pan drippings and discard the solids. Add ½ cup of the strained pan drippings, along with the white wine, to a medium saucepan and set over medium heat.
- In a mason jar, combine the stock and flour. Cover the jar and shake vigorously until the flour is completely dissolved in the stock.
- Once the drippings come up to a simmer in the pan, slowly stream in the stock mixture, whisking constantly so no lumps form.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until the gravy is thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the truffle butter and truffle oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Keep the gravy warm until you are ready to serve. If it gets too thick, you can thin it by adding a splash of stock or water and whisking it vigorously to incorporate.
Notes
- This recipe will work with any size turkey. If using a smaller turkey, cut the brine salt-sugar proportions in about half. If using a larger turkey, increase the proportions by about half for each 5 lbs (for example, for a 16-lb turkey, use 3 tablespoons kosher salt and 1½ tablespoons sugar). Cooking time will vary, of course, depending on the size of your turkey. The general rule of thumb is 13 minutes per pound.
- This is where I buy my truffle butter and oil. The quality is always fantastic.
- Prep Time: 24 hours brining time
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: turkey