Elsie's Roast Turkey!

A GIFT FROM MY MOM THAT I WILL TREASURE FOREVER. I am honored to share this recipe and spread some holiday love from my kitchen to YOU. This one is near and dear to my heart. My mom's culinary talents were seriously out of this stratosphere. She had an innate gift and a beautiful love for food, and found so much joy making others happy through her delicious cooking and baking. I am forever grateful for my mom's influence on my approach to food. Real food. Quality ingredients. Buying fresh, a practice developed from her European roots. I can still hear her voice in her beautiful German accent from when as a kid I was wanting to try the new, processed food trends that all my friends were influenced by, saying, "That's junk! Just eat real food, Christine".

It will be 8 years tomorrow, November 24th, since my mom passed away. I miss her every day and am forever grateful for the beautiful inspiration she instilled in me about the power of good food.

Enjoy this recipe for Elsie's Roast Turkey (my mom's name was Elsbeth, and, in addition to "mom", I also fun-lovingly called her "Elsie" or "Elsie Welsie"!). Which also includes the stuffing and her beloved gravy. (About that gravy... Your taste buds will be dancing! Something about that dried mixed fruit roasting with the turkey juices and fresh herbs...wowww!) I've now made this recipe my own with a few special "Chris" touches. The results and delicious impact are always the same--the best roast turkey ever.

"MY HOLIDAY". I absolutely adore Thanksgiving. As my family knows, it's "My Holiday". The love and gratitude for family, friends, and enjoying good food together are so honored this day. I love the feeling of everyone coming together to spend time with one another and enjoy a beautiful day of family, friends, football, and, of course, food.

Putting together a beautifully orchestrated Thanksgiving meal is a huge accomplishment. I'm grateful for all the Thanksgivings, and all the lessons I've learned over the years. I'm especially grateful for this recipe inspiration from my mom, who always put together such a delicious Thanksgiving. And who absolutely loved that turkey and gravy.

Whether you are just reading about making your own turkey and Thanksgiving meal, or one day decide to give this recipe a whirl, I hope you enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday this year and every year! ♥️

PRO TIPS FOR A BEAUTIFULLY ORCHESTRATED PROCESS AND THANKSGIVING EXPERIENCE. Prep and planning is a biggie! Invest the time for this, and really thinking through your day and the experience you wish to create. Including allowing others to help so all the heavy lifting isn't on you.

If your turkey is scheduled to be in the over for 4-5 hours, that comes first on the "to do" list Thanksgiving morning! But "first" is relative. There is "prep" time (cleaning the bird, preparing the stuffing so it's ready to go when your bird is ready, ensuring your roasting pan is clean and ready to roll, ensuring the oven racks are placed low enough to accommodate the bird--ideally BEFORE you start heating it up, and more). Count on a window of 5-7 hours total to allow for prep and post-roasting time to let the bird rest a bit. In between, you can focus on everything else on your "to do" list like setting the table(s), preparing side dishes, entertaining guests, and more!

Now let's get started on that turkey!

INGREDIENTS | SUBSTITUTIONS | GUIDING LIGHT. Always use the best, quality, organic ingredients as possible. Even on indulgent days like Thanksgiving where we all probably eat a little more than we should, we can optimize how we feel by using good quality ingredients. Feel free to get creative, experiment, and make substitutions based on personal preferences/sensitivities. As an example, I am ALWAYS focused on upping the game on good quality ingredients and will try my hand this year at a homemade stuffing vs. using a good packaged version as usual.

For the Turkey

• 1 Turkey (my "go to" is an organic turkey in the 17-21 lb. range)

• 1 Cheese Cloth (natural, if possible)

• 1 ~ 12-oz. Package of Good Mixed Dried Fruit (if you can find this; I often have to purchase separate packages of apples, apricots, cranberries, figs, and prunes; feel free to substitute with what you like--e.g., sometimes I add cherries!, and always remember to go for the cleanest ingredients, no seed oils or other additives if possible)

• 2 TBSP Good Olive Oil (for rubbing on the turkey)

• 1 Stick Organic Butter (for the cheese cloth to soak up and lay over the turkey)

• 1 TBSP Good Salt/Pink Salt (to rub on and inside of the bird)

• 1 Tsp Black Pepper (to rub on and inside of the bird)

• Filtered Water (enough to fill the bottom of the roasting pan to ~ 1/3 - 1/2 of the way up)

• Fresh Classic Herbs (sage, rosemary, and thyme to tuck in on top with the cheese cloth)

For the Gravy

• Liquid and Drippings from Roast Pan (strained, after the turkey comes out of the oven)

• Flour

• Filtered Water

• Good Salt to Taste

For the Stuffing

• Traditional Stuffing (I historically use a good pre-packaged stuffing; feel free to use your own!)

• Salted Butter

• 1/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning

MY PROCESS | PRO TIPS. With all the ingredients ready and organized, this is a super easy process!

Step 1. Preheat Oven.

• Preheat the oven per the instructions on your turkey (usually 325 degrees).

Step 2. Prep Butter and Cheesecloth.

• In a small saucepan on low heat, melt the stick of butter. Remove from heat. Add the entire cheesecloth to the pan and use a wooden spoon to ensure it's all saturated and all the butter is soaked up; set aside.

Step 3. Prepare Stuffing.

• Prepare stuffing in large saucepan per directions (or make your own). I add just a bit of poultry seasoning (~ 1/4 tsp) for a beautiful, unique taste. Set aside.

Step 4. Prep the Turkey!

• Have your roasting pan ready next to the sink, and prep the turkey.

• Rinse turkey with cold water, removing innards (to use later or toss).

• Rub olive oil generously into the outer skin and inside cavities.

• Generously salt outside and inside; add some black pepper.

• Lay the bird in the roasting pan, classic style.

Step 5. Add the Stuffing.

• Stuff the bird with the pre-prepared stuffing. Note: We enjoy the stuffing inside the turkey. You may choose to keep the stuffing in a separate pan (or a little of both); your choice!

Step 6. Add the Fresh Herbs and Butter-Infused Cheesecloth.

• Lay some fresh sprigs of sage, rosemary, and thyme on top of the turkey. Remove the butter-infused cheesecloth from the set aside stovetop pan and lay it over the turkey and herbs. Pour any remaining butter from the pan on top of the cheesecloth. Additional fresh herbs can be laid on top (I like to integrate them within the layers of cheesecloth for easiest removal at the end of the process).

Step 7. Add the Cold Filtered Water and Dried Fruit.

• Add cold water to the roasting pan, filling it ~ 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up.

• Add mixes dried fruit all around the sides of the roasting pan in the water, between the turkey and the edges of the pan. I usually use the equivalent of 2-3 ~ 7 oz. pouches of the different fruits.

• Don't be shy with the water or the dried fruit--this is the foundation for a beautiful gravy with a magical, unique, and very delicious taste profile! (I've heard amazing feedback from those who have tried the recipe that the dried fruit is a game-changer!)

Step 8. Your Turkey is Oven-Ready!

• Bake as directed on turkey packaging.

• Baste every ~ 30 minutes using the juices from the roasting pan.

• Note: The cheesecloth will get very dark on top which is fine. You want to ensure the skin is roasted to a beautiful color which I manage by either adding foil to cover the top if it's getting too dark, or by removing the cheesecloth toward the end of baking time if it's not dark enough.

• Pro Tip: Baste your turkey again right before removing the cheesecloth and remove the cheesecloth with a fork/other utensil gently to ensure it doesn't rip the gorgeous skin.

Step 9. Remove the Turkey from the Oven.

• Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest ~ 20 minutes covered with foil.

• Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and place it on a carving station or platter.

• Remove the stuffing from the cavity (unless presenting the entire bird with stuffing as a centerpiece).

• Carve the turkey just before showtime!

Step 10. Make the Gravy.

• With a strainer and a large pot ready to go on the stove, strain the juices from the roasting pan into a large saucepan and heat on medium heat, stirring intermittently.

• While the liquid is heating, prepare a mixture of flour and water to thicken the gravy as desired; be sure the use cold water and whisk thoroughly to remove clumps.

• When the gravy juices come to a boil, pour in the smooth flour and water mixture, ~ 1/4 cup at a time, stirring consistently with a whisk over a heavy simmer/light boil, until the desired thickness is achieved. We like our gravy on the thinner side; it's a personal choice. Do what's great for your family and YOU!

Step 11. Serve and Enjoy!

• Your turkey, stuffing, and gravy are now ready to enjoy with all the beautiful sides you've chosen for your special Thanksgiving dinner!

• Enjoy!