Lisa follows this beautiful bird up with her extraordinary pumpkin pie cheesecake. Scroll down for instructions and enjoy 🙂

Lisa’s Classic Cheesecloth Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 turkey (14 to 16 pounds)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 celery ribs, quartered
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, quartered
• 1 cup butter, cubed
• 2 cups white wine

Gravy

• 2 to 3 cups chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325°. Remove giblets from turkey; cover and refrigerate for gravy. Pat turkey dry; place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine softened butter, thyme and sage. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from turkey breast; rub butter mixture under skin. Sprinkle salt and pepper over turkey and inside cavity; fill cavity with celery, onion and carrot.
• In a large saucepan, melt cubed butter; stir in wine. Saturate a four-layered 17-in. square of cheesecloth in butter mixture; drape over turkey. Bake turkey, uncovered, 3 hours; baste with wine mixture every 30 minutes, keeping cheesecloth moist at all times.
• Remove and discard cheesecloth. Bake turkey until a thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 170°-175°, basting occasionally with pan drippings, 45 minutes to 1-1/4 hours longer. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.)
• Remove turkey to a serving platter; cover and let stand 20 minutes before carving. Discard vegetables from cavity. Pour drippings and loosened brown bits into a measuring cup. Skim fat, reserving 1/3 cup. Add enough broth to remaining drippings to measure 4 cups.
• In a saucepan, melt a few tablespoons butter and add flour to make a roux. Cook for one minute and add broth all at once whisking until incorporated. Simmer for five minutes stirring constantly until thickened. Use this as your gravy.

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