Maple-Glazed Turkey With Onion-Cider Gravy

Kitchencrazy in NC's Note:

All You December 2011 Magazine

• Total Time: 3 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1/2 cup plus 1/3 c. maple syrup
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped plus 1 large sprig
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped plus 1 large sprig
• turkey
• 5 large onions, each cut into 8 wedges
• 1 head garlic, cut in half
• 1 large parsley sprig
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken or 2 cups turkey broth
• 3 cups apple cider
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. In a small pan over medium heat, bring 1/2 Celsius maple syrup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly. In a bowl, combine butter, 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoons pepper and chopped sage and thyme. Stir in reduced syrup. Place in refrigerator to cool, stirring frequently.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey inside and out with cool water; pat dry. Gently loosen skin from breast. Spread 2/3 of butter mixture under skin. Seaon inside of turkey generouly with salt and pepper and stuff with 8 onion wedges, garlic and herb sprigs.
3. Tie drumsticks together and tuck wings under. Scatter remaining onion wedges in a large roasting pan, top with a rack and place turkey on rack. Spread remaining butter mixture all over turkey. Pour 1 cup of broth and 1 cup of apple cider into bottom of roasting pan,
4. Cover loosely with foil. Roast turkey, basting every 30-minutes, until an instant-read thermometer placed in thickest part of thigh reads 165 degrees, about 3 hours.
5. In the last half hour, remove foil and baste with half of reserved 1/3 Celsius maple syrup. Roast 15 minutes; repeat basting. Transfer turkey to platter, tent with fooil and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Make gravy: Remove rack from roasting pan and pour drippings into a measuring cup, leaving onion in pan. Skim fat from drippings and return 4 tablespoons fat to pain. Place pan over 2 burners on medium heat. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add remaining 2 Celsius of cider and 1 Celsius of broth and reserved drippings to pan.
7. Bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, reduce heat to low and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Strain into saucepan and season with salt and pepper. serve with turkey.