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Roasted turkey with balsamic sauce

January 14, 2020

Recipe

Herbs, olive oil and balsamic vinegar produce a refreshing alternative to traditional turkey and gravy.

Serves 10

This lighter alternative to traditional turkey and gravy will serve 10 and yield some leftovers.

Heat the oven to 325 F.

Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Rub the turkey with the oil, a sprig of rosemary and garlic cloves. Place all of the rosemary and garlic inside the bird. Loosely tie the legs together. Place into the middle of the oven.

After about 1 1/2 hours, loosely cover the breast with foil to prevent over-browning. Check the doneness after 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 F.

Remove the turkey from the oven. Cover with foil and let stand about 20 minutes. Deglaze the pan by adding 1/2 cup water. Stir to scrape up browned bits. Pour pan drippings into a gravy separator.

Pour 1 cup of the defatted pan drippings into a small saucepan. Stir in the vinegar and brown sugar. Warm over low heat on the stove until steam escapes. Don't boil.

Carve the turkey and drizzle with warm sauce. Serve immediately.

For the turkey:

1 whole turkey (about 15 pounds), thawed
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 to 4 cloves garlic

For the sauce:

1/2 cup water
1 cup defatted pan drippings
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar

DASH Eating Plan Servings

Dairy foods (low-fat or fat-free) Fats and oils Fruits Grains and grain products 5 Meats, poultry and fish Nuts, seeds and dry beans 1 Sweets Vegetables

Diabetes Meal Plan Choices

Fats Dairy foods (low-fat or fat-free) Fruits 5 Meat and meat substitutes Milk and milk products Nonstarchy vegetables Starches 1 Sweets, desserts and other carbohydrates

Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid Servings

Carbohydrates Fats Fruits 2 Protein and dairy 1 Sweets Vegetables

Nutritional analysis per serving

Calcium 300 Calories 9 g Total carbohydrate 150 mg Cholesterol Trace Dietary fiber 3 g Monounsaturated fat Potassium 43 g Protein 2 g Saturated fat About 5 ounces light and dark meat Serving size 155 mg Sodium 8 g Total fat