A well-cooked turkey makes the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. By well-cooked, I mean juicy, flavorful, moist (sorry!) with a nice crispy skin. To combat dryness, I’ve made a butter, Dean’s Ranch Dip, and herb compound to inject flavor into the breast and keep it succulent. You have to get it all under the skin, so wear gloves for easy clean up if you prefer. And season generously with salt!

For the gravy, I’ve added a little twist too. I usually finish gravy with a tablespoon or two of butter, but here I’m using Dean’s French Onion Dip which adds the creaminess I’m looking for , plus extra French Onion flavor.

Herb Roasted Turkey with French Onion Gravy

Ingredients

2 onions, quarteres

1 carrot, cut into 2″ chunks

1 c white whine

1 c water + more added during roasting to keep drippings from burning

12-15 lb turkey

8 oz softened butter + extra melted butter for brushing skin of turkey

1/4 c Dean’s Ranch Dip

1 tbsp thyme chopped

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tbsp chives, chopped

1 tsp rosemary, chopped

salt and pepper

2 onions, quartered

1 carrot, cut in 2″ chunks

1 c white wine

1 c water

Gravy ingredients

turkey drippings

3 c turkey broth

1/4 c turkey fat

1/4 c all-purpose flour

2 tbsp Dean’s French Onion Dip

Directions

For the turkey:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the roasting pan, add onions, one carrots, white wine and water. This will season your drippings.

Mix together softened butter, Dean’s Ranch dip, and herbs. Generously season mixture with salt and pepper. Separate breast skin from breast meat, being careful not to rip skin. Rub butter and herb mixture under skin, evenly covering breast. Brush skin of turkey with melted butter and generously season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a little salt in the cavity as well. Place 1 bunch of thyme, rosemary and sage in cavity of turkey. Lightly truss the legs and tuck the wings for even cooking. Place turkey in the roasting rack, breast-side up. Roast about 13-14 minutes per pound of turkey or until thickest part of breast measures 165 degrees. Remove turkey from the oven and tent with foil. Rest for 30 minutes before carving.

For the gravy:

While the turkey is resting, strain the turkey drippings. Use one cup of broth to help scrape up the browned bits. Separate fat from drippings, reserving 1/4 cup of fat for the roux base. In  medium-sized pot, heat 1/4 cup of drippings over medium heat. Add flour and cook until lightly browned, stirring constantly to smooth out any lumps. Add drippings and broth gradually to create a lump-free gravy. Simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in Dean’s French Onion Dip.

Serves 8-10

Note: This post is brought to you in partnership with Dean’s Dips, though all opinions are my own.