Honey-Glazed Roasted Turkey with Lemon-Sage Gravy

Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 4 hours • Serves: 12

1.Adjust oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 325°. Place roasting rack in 17 x 14-inch deep roasting pan. In small bowl, stir 2 tablespoons sage, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

2.Remove giblets, liver and neck from turkey cavities; freeze or save for later use. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in pan; sprinkle inside cavity and outside of turkey with sage mixture. Place celery, onion and lemon inside cavity. If not already secured, tie legs together with kitchen string; tuck wing tips under turkey to hold in place. Tent turkey loosely with aluminum foil; roast 1-1/2 hours.

3.In medium microwave-safe bowl, heat honey, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and zest in microwave oven on high 30 seconds; stir in 2 tablespoons sage. Brush turkey with some honey mixture.

4.Pour 1 can (1-3/4 cups) broth into bottom of roasting pan. Tent turkey with foil; roast 2-1/2 to 3 hours longer, basting every 20 to 30 minutes with warmed honey mixture. (Pop-up temperature indicator may not work properly and stick with honey basting; make sure to have an instant-read thermometer available.)

5.Remove foil during last 30 minutes of roasting to brown top, if necessary. Cook turkey until juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 160° in thickest part of thigh, making sure thermometer doesn’t touch bone. Transfer turkey to platter or carving board; loosely cover with foil and reserve pan juices for gravy. (Internal temperature will rise about 10° upon standing.)

6.Remove rack from roasting pan; with spoon, skim excess fat from drippings. Place roasting pan with drippings across 2 burners. Whisk flour into drippings; add remaining 2 cans broth. Heat 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently to scrape browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 minutes longer or until gravy thickens, stirring occasionally. For smoother gravy, strain through fine-mesh strainer, if desired. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon sage and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Carve turkey and serve with gravy.

Approximate nutritional values per serving:
616 Calories, 20g Fat (6g Saturated), 284mg Cholesterol,
884mg Sodium, 29g Carbohydrates, 1g Fiber, 77g Protein

Chef Tips:
Plan ahead: When thawing a turkey in the refrigerator, it will take about 24 hours for every 4- to 5-pounds of turkey. Place the turkey in a container to prevent the juices from dripping on other foods.

What size turkey do you need? A general rule to follow is to plan on
1 pound of turkey per person, or 1-1/2 pounds per person to ensure there are leftovers.