Herb Roasted Turkey With Pan Gravy Food

HERB ROASTED TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Remove the package of giblets and neck from the turkey cavity. Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Tie the ends of the drumsticks together.
• Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush the turkey with the oil. Season with the salt and black pepper. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bone.
• Stir the stock, lemon juice, basil, thyme and 1/8 teaspoon additional black pepper in a large bowl. Reserve 1 3/4 cups stock mixture for the gravy. Pour the remaining stock mixture over the turkey.
• Roast at 325 degrees F for 3 hours or until the thermometer reads 165 degrees F., basting occasionally with the pan drippings. Begin checking for doneness after 2 1/2 hours of the roasting time.
• Remove the turkey from the pan, cover and keep warm. Spoon off any fat and pour off all but 1 1/2 cups pan drippings.
• Stir the reserved stock mixture and the flour in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour mixture to the pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season, if desired. Serve the gravy with the turkey.

HERB ROASTED TURKEY BREAST WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a roasting pan and set it aside.
• Put the onion into the bowl of a mini food processor. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemon in thin strips, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith. Add the lemon zest to the food processor and reserve the whole lemon for another use. Chop the onion and lemon zest until fine. Add the sage, parsley, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until it forms a coarse paste.
• Put 2 of the bay leaves and the butter into a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until the butter is bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Put the turkey breasts on a work surface. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh from 1 end, being careful not to pull it completely off, creating a pocket. Season the turkey breasts generously with salt and pepper. Stuff half of the herb paste under the skin of each breast, and spread it evenly under the skin. Transfer the breasts to the roasting pan, and slide 2 bay leaves underneath each one. (The heat of the pan will release the bay leaf oils and flavor the breast.) Using a pastry brush, baste the breasts with half of the bay butter. Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F. After 20 minutes, baste the turkey breasts with the remaining butter, and roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through, and a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F.
• Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving while you make the gravy.
• Put the roasting pan over the burner on medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the pan juices, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple brandy, and scrape the pan to lift the bits that are stuck to the bottom. Cook for a minute to burn off the alcohol, then, while stirring, pour in the apple cider. Bring to a simmer, and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the turkey breast on the diagonal, and serve with warm gravy.

HERB-ROASTED TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• To make turkey: Set oven rack in lowest position; heat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove neck and giblets from turkey; reserve. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Place breast side up in a large, heavy roasting pan.
• Mix butter, chopped herbs, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Starting at neck end, gently slide your fingers between the skin and flesh of the breast and legs to loosen skin, being careful not to tear it. Slide 2 tablespoons of the herb butter under the skin of each breast half and 1 tablespoon on each drumstick, pushing butter out of spoon with a finger on outside of skin.
• Place onion, garlic cloves, and whole herb sprigs inside the large cavity of the turkey. Tuck wings under body; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Spread the remaining herb butter over the skin of the entire bird.
• Loosely tent turkey with foil. Roast turkey about 4 1/4 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 175 degrees. Baste with pan juices every 45 minutes, rotating pan each time.
• Transfer turkey to a platter; let stand, loosely covered with foil, 45 minutes. Remove herb sprigs and garlic from cavity. Pour roasting-pan drippings into a 4-cup measure; reserve for gravy. Reserve roasting pan as is for making gravy.
• To make giblet broth: While turkey roasts, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add turkey neck, giblets, and shallot; sauté until shallot is soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth and water; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, until broth is reduced to about 4 cups; strain.
• To make pan gravy: Skim 6 tablespoons of the fat from reserved pan drippings and place in roasting pan; set pan across 2 stovetop burners over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour until smooth; cook, whisking, until flour is golden brown. Gradually whisk in giblet broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 to 8 minutes, until thickened. Discard the remaining fat from pan drippings; whisk drippings into gravy and stir in any accumulated juices from turkey platter. Season gravy with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.Nutritional information is based on a 3-ounce serving of turkey.

HERB ROASTED TURKEY & PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Mix stock or broth with lemon juice, basil, thyme and black pepper to create basting mixture.
• Roast turkey according to package directions (until internal temperature of turkey reaches 180°F / 82°C), basting occasionally with basting mixture.
• Once cooked, remove turkey from roasting pan and let turkey stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Pour drippings into a saucepan– skim off fat leaving around ½ cup of drippings.
• Add remaining stock or broth mixture and flour to drippings in saucepan.
• Heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring often. Serve with sliced turkey.

HERB ROASTED TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Remove the package of giblets and neck from the cavity of the Whole Turkey (12 pound). Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Tie the ends of the drumsticks together.
• Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush the turkey with Olive Oil (1 tablespoon). Season with Kosher Salt (1/4 teaspoon) and Freshly Ground Black Pepper (1/4 teaspoon). Insert a meat thermometer into thickest part of the meat.
• Stir the Chicken Stock (1 package), Dried Basil (1 teaspoon), Lemon Juice (3 tablespoon), Dried Thyme (1 teaspoon) and 1/8 teaspoon additional black pepper in a large bowl.
• Reserve 1 3/4 cups stock mixture for the gravy. Pour the remaining stock mixture over the turkey.
• Roast at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 3 hours or until the thermometer reads 165 degrees F. Baste occasionally with the pan drippings. Begin checking for doneness after 2 1/2 hours of the roasting time.
• Remove the turkey from the pan, cover and keep warm. Spoon off any fat and pour off all but 1 1/2 cups pan drippings.
• Stir the reserved stock mixture and All-Purpose Flour (1/4 cup) in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the flour mixture to the pan.
• Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season, if desired. Serve the gravy with the turkey. Enjoy!

HERB-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 475 degrees F.
• Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities and reserve for making gravy. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry with paper towels. Mix minced herbs, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin and onto the breast meat. Place aromatics and 10 of the herb sprigs in the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Add 3 cups water and the remaining 10 herb sprigs to the pan.
• Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes. Remove from the oven. Cover the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to conform to the breast.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone registers 165°, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours more. If the pan dries out, tilt the turkey to let juices run out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup water.
• Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and cover with foil. (If you're making herbed pan gravy, start here.) Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Remove string and carve.

HERB-ROASTED TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Rinse turkey with cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. Let stand, uncovered, 2 hours at room temperature.
• Combine butter, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Using your fingers, gently loosen turkey skin from over the breast meat, and smear half the butter mixture under skin.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack on lowest level. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack set in a heavy metal roasting pan. Fold wing tips under. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside cavity. Fill large cavity and neck cavity loosely with as many lemon and onion wedges as will fit comfortably.
• Tie legs together loosely with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Rub entire turkey with remaining herb butter, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, pressing to adhere.
• Cook 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Using a pastry brush, baste the turkey with any pan drippings. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue cooking 2 more hours, basting turkey and rotating pan every 30 minutes; if pan gets too full, spoon out some of the juices, reserving them for gravy.
• After 2 1/2 hours of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone. The temperature should reach 160 degrees, and the turkey should be golden brown. (The internal temperature will continue to rise once turkey is out of oven. Ideal done temperature is 165 degrees.) If thighs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey again, and continue cooking.
• When fully cooked, transfer turkey to a serving platter, and let rest, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Pour the pan juices into a large glass measuring cup; let stand until grease rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim with a large spoon.
• Meanwhile, place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add wine or water, and bring to a boil; deglaze pan by scraping up any browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon. Add stock; stir well, and return to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the defatted pan juices, and cook 5 minutes more; you will have about 2 cups. Remove from heat, and season with the salt and pepper. Strain into a warm gravy boat, and serve with turkey.

DRY-BRINED HERB & GARLIC TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place on large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Mix salt and pepper; season inside and outside of turkey. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hr.
• Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Again, pat turkey dry with paper towels. Make the garlic herb butter by mixing together the butter, chopped sage, chopped rosemary, garlic and paprika. Loosen the skin from the turkey breast with your fingers; rub the garlic herb butter onto the breast meat under the skin. Tuck the remaining onion, sage sprigs and rosemary sprigs inside the turkey. Tie legs together with butcher's twine and tuck wings under to prevent tips from scorching.
• In bottom of clean roasting pan, place the 3 onion halves, celery, carrots and garlic cloves. Set turkey, breast-side up, on top of the vegetables. Roast in lower third of oven for 30 min. Reduce temperature to 160°C (325°F) and roast 3 hr. Cook until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of inner thigh registers 82°C (180°F). Transfer turkey to serving platter and tent with foil for 20 min. before removing twine and slicing.
• Meanwhile, strain vegetables and skim fat from pan drippings. Put drippings back into roasting pan. Place on stovetop over medium heat. Whisk 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the chicken broth with flour until smooth. Whisk mixture into the drippings. Stir in remaining chicken broth, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate into sauce. Simmer 10 to 12 min,. or until thickened. Stir in parsley, if using. Serve pan gravy with the turkey.

RACHAEL RAY'S HERB ROASTED TURKEY BREAST WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a roasting pan and set it aside.
• Put the onion into the bowl of a mini food processor. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemon in thin strips, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith. Add the lemon zest to the food processor and reserve the whole lemon for another use. Chop the onion and lemon zest until fine. Add the sage, parsley, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until it forms a coarse paste.
• Put 2 of the bay leaves and the butter into a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until the butter is bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Put the turkey breasts on a work surface. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh from 1 end, being careful not to pull it completely off, creating a pocket. Season the turkey breasts generously with salt and pepper. Stuff half of the herb paste under the skin of each breast, and spread it evenly under the skin. Transfer the breasts to the roasting pan, and slide 2 bay leaves underneath each one. (The heat of the pan will release the bay leaf oils and flavor the breast.) Using a pastry brush, baste the breasts with half of the bay butter. Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F. After 20 minutes, baste the turkey breasts with the remaining butter, and roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through, and a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F.
• Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving while you make the gravy.
• Put the roasting pan over the burner on medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the pan juices, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple brandy, and scrape the pan to lift the bits that are stuck to the bottom. Cook for a minute to burn off the alcohol, then, while stirring, pour in the apple cider. Bring to a simmer, and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the turkey breast on the diagonal, and serve with warm gravy.

DRY-BRINED HERB & GARLIC TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place on large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Mix salt and pepper; season inside and outside of turkey. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hr.
• Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Again, pat turkey dry with paper towels. Make the garlic herb butter by mixing together the butter, chopped sage, chopped rosemary, garlic and paprika. Loosen the skin from the turkey breast with your fingers; rub the garlic herb butter onto the breast meat under the skin. Tuck the remaining onion, sage sprigs and rosemary sprigs inside the turkey. Tie legs together with butcher's twine and tuck wings under to prevent tips from scorching.
• In bottom of clean roasting pan, place the 3 onion halves, celery, carrots and garlic cloves.
• Set turkey, breast-side up, on top of the vegetables. Roast in lower third of oven for 30 min. Reduce temperature to 160°C (325°F) and roast 3 hr. Cook until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of inner thigh registers 82°C (180°F). Transfer turkey to serving platter and tent with foil for 20 min. before removing twine and slicing.
• Meanwhile, strain vegetables and skim fat from pan drippings. Put drippings back into roasting pan. Place on stovetop over medium heat. Whisk 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the chicken broth with flour until smooth. Whisk mixture into the drippings. Stir in remaining chicken broth, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate into sauce. Simmer 10 to 12 min,. or until thickened. Stir in parsley, if using. Serve pan gravy with the turkey.

HERB ROASTED TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• 1.Remove the package of giblets and neck from the turkey cavity. Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Tie the ends of the drumsticks together.
• 2.Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush the turkey with the oil. Season with the salt and black pepper. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bone.
• 3.Stir the stock, lemon juice, basil, thyme and 1/8 teaspoon additional black pepper in a large bowl. Reserve 1 3/4 cups stock mixture for the gravy. Pour the remaining stock mixture over the turkey.
• 4.Roast at 325°F. for 3 hours or until the thermometer reads 165°F., basting occasionally with the pan drippings. Begin checking for doneness after 2 1/2 hours of the roasting time.
• 5.Remove the turkey from the pan, cover and keep warm. Spoon off any fat and pour off all but 1 1/2 cups pan drippings.
• 6.Stir the reserved stock mixture and the flour in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour mixture to the pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season, if desired. Serve the gravy with the turkey.

HERB ROASTED TURKEY WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Remove the package of giblets and neck from the turkey cavity. Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Tie the ends of the drumsticks together.
• Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush the turkey with the oil. Season with the salt and black pepper. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bone.
• Stir the stock, lemon juice, basil, thyme and 1/8 teaspoon additional black pepper in a large bowl. Reserve 1 3/4 cups stock mixture for the gravy. Pour the remaining stock mixture over the turkey.
• Roast at 325 degrees F for 3 hours or until the thermometer reads 165 degrees F., basting occasionally with the pan drippings. Begin checking for doneness after 2 1/2 hours of the roasting time.
• Remove the turkey from the pan, cover and keep warm. Spoon off any fat and pour off all but 1 1/2 cups pan drippings.
• Stir the reserved stock mixture and the flour in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour mixture to the pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season, if desired. Serve the gravy with the turkey.

HERB BUTTER ROAST TURKEY BREAST WITH GRAVY FOR TWO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C with the rack in the center of the oven.
• Dry the outside of your turkey breast.
• For the herb butter: To a bowl, add the softened butter, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt and pepper, mix well.
• For the turkey:Lift the skin of the turkey breast and spread some of the butter between the meat and the skin. Spread the rest of the butter all over the turkey. Wash your hands well after handling raw meat.
• To the bottom of your roasting dish, add the carrots, celery, parsnips, garlic, onion and bay leaf in an even layer, pour the warm chicken stock. Lay the turkey breast, skin-side up on top of the vegetables.
• Roast for 45 minutes, turn down the heat to 350°F/177°C, then continue to roast for a further 20-30 minutes. The duration of last part of roasting will depend on how hot your oven runs. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer and remove from the oven when the temperature at the thickest part of the meat is 162-165°F. It will continue to cook when resting.
• Take the turkey breast out of the pan and set on a cutting board, cover lightly with foil. Remove the vegetables and add to an oven-proof dish put them back in the oven (turned to very low) to keep warm.
• Strain the turkey drippings into a small saucepan and add more stock to make 1 cup (236 ml) if needed.
• Sprinkle flour or cornstarch into a small bowl and whisk in a little chicken stock until there are no lumps. Bring the turkey drippings to a simmer and slowly add the flour mix while whisking. Simmer until thickened, taste for salt.
• Slice the turkey and serve with the gravy and your favorite sides.

HERB ROASTED TURKEY BREASTS WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a roasting pan and set it aside.
• Put the onion into the bowl of a food processor. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemon in thin strips, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith. Add the lemon zest to the food processor and reserve the whole lemon for another use. Chop the onion and lemon zest until fine. Add the sage, parsley, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until it forms a coarse paste.
• Put 2 of the bay leaves and the butter into a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until the butter is bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Put the turkey breasts on a work surface. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh from 1 end, being careful not to pull it completely off, creating a pocket. Season the turkey breasts generously with salt and pepper. Stuff half of the herb paste under the skin of each breast, and spread it evenly under the skin. Transfer the breasts to the roasting pan, and slide 2 bay leaves underneath each one. (The heat of the pan will release the bay leaf oils and flavor the breast.) Using a pastry brush, baste the breasts with half of the bay butter.
• Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F. After 20 minutes, baste the turkey breasts with the remaining butter, and roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through, and a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F.
• Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving while you make the gravy.
• Put the roasting pan over the burner on medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the pan juices, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple brandy, and scrape the pan to lift the bits that are stuck to the bottom. Cook for a minute to burn off the alcohol, then, while stirring, pour in the apple cider. Bring to a simmer, and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the turkey breast on the diagonal, and serve with warm gravy.

HERB-ROASTED TURKEY WITH SHALLOT PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Mix butter, chopped parsley, chopped sage, chopped thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl to blend. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Transfer herb butter to small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Bring butter to room temperature before using.) Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Sprinkle main cavity of turkey with salt and pepper. Place whole parsley, sage and thyme sprigs and 4 shallot halves in cavity. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Spread 3 tablespoons herb butter over breast meat under skin. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together to hold shape. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Rub 4 tablespoons herb butter over turkey. Cover only breast area of turkey with sheet of heavy-duty foil. Scatter remaining shallots in pan around turkey.
• Roast turkey 30 minutes; baste with 1/2 cup broth. Continue roasting turkey for 1 1/2 hours, basting with 1/2 cup broth every 30 minutes. Remove foil from over turkey breast. Continue to roast turkey until golden brown and thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes, about 1 hour longer. Transfer turkey to platter. Brush with 1 tablespoon herb butter. Tent loosely with foil; let stand 20 minutes.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer shallots from roasting pan to plate. Pour pan juices into medium bowl; spoon off fat and discard. Add wine and 1 cup chicken broth to roasting pan. Set pan directly over 2 burners and bring broth mixture to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Continue to boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes; pour into large glass measuring cup. Add degreased pan juices. Add enough broth if necessary to equal 3 cups liquid.
• Blend flour into remaining herb butter. Pour broth mixture into heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Gradually whisk in herb butter mixture. Add any accumulated juices from turkey platter. Boil until gravy thickens enough to coat spoon lightly, whisking occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add shallots to gravy; simmer 1 minute. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Serve turkey with gravy.

HERB-BUTTER ROASTED TURKEY WITH PINOT NOIR GRAVY

Steps:

• Put all of the brine ingredients in a 5-gallon stockpot with a lid. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool to room temperature, cover the pot, and refrigerate the brine until cold, preferably overnight.
• If already loose, trim the tail from the turkey. Otherwise, leave it attached. Remove and discard the giblets. Keep the neck and tail in the refrigerator. Rinse the turkey and put it in the pot with the brine. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours before roasting the turkey.
• Position a rack in the bottom of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Remove the turkey from the brine and discard the brine. Rinse the turkey well, pat it dry, and set it in a large flameproof roasting pan. Gently slide your hand between the breast meat and skin to separate the skin so you can apply the herb butter. Slice the herb butter into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and distribute them evenly between the skin and breast meat, completely covering the breast. Maneuver a few pieces between the skin and legs, too. Next, with your hands on the outside of the turkey, massage the butter under the skin to distribute it evenly and break up the round pieces so the turkey won't look polka-dotted when it's done.
• Sprinkle 1 Tbs. of the salt and 1 Tbs. of the pepper in the cavity of the turkey. Tie the legs together. Fold the wings back and tuck the tips under the neck area. Flip the turkey onto its breast, pat the back dry, and brush with some of the melted butter. Sprinkle with some of the remaining salt and pepper. Flip the turkey over, pat dry again, brush all over with the remaining butter, and sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper. Put the reserved neck and tail in the pan with the turkey. Cover the pan very tightly with foil and put in the oven, legs pointing to the back of the oven, if possible (the legs can handle the higher heat in the back better than the breast can). Roast undisturbed for 2 hours and then uncover carefully (watch out for escaping steam). Continue to roast, basting every 15 minutes with the drippings that have collected in the pan, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of both thighs reads 170° to 175°F and the juices run clear when the thermometer is removed, 45 minutes to 1 hour more for a 15-lb. turkey.
• Remove the turkey from the oven. With a wad of paper towels in each hand, move the turkey to a serving platter, cover with foil to keep warm, and set aside. Discard the neck and tail; reserve the drippings in the roasting pan. Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes while you make the gravy and heat the side dishes
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the flour and quickly whisk it into the butter until it's completely incorporated. Cook, whisking constantly, until the roux smells toasty and darkens slightly to a light caramel color (see image below), about 2 minutes. Watch carefully, as you don't want it to get too dark. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Pour the reserved turkey drippings into a clear, heatproof container, preferably a fat separator cup. (Don't rinse the roasting pan.) Let sit until the fat rises to the top, and then pour out 1 cup of the juices (or remove and discard the fat with a ladle and measure 1 cup of the juices). Combine the juices with the turkey or chicken broth.
• Set the roasting pan on top of the stove over two burners on medium heat. Add the Pinot Noir and simmer, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to release any stuck-on bits, until the wine has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the broth mixture and simmer to meld the flavors, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the roux a little at a time until you have reached your desired thickness (you may not want to use it all). Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Strain through a fine sieve and transfer to a serving vessel.