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Herb-Roasted Turkey with Maple Gravy

A roasted turkey stuffed with garlic, onion, and herbs, served with a maple-flavored gravy.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Sage and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,485 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Herb-Roasted Turkey with Maple Gravy

Oven350°
Timeabout 3 hours

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the turkey

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

  2. Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry.

  3. Trim the neck skin.

  4. Stuff the turkey with the garlic, onion, sage, thyme, and parsley sprigs.

  5. Season inside and outside with salt and pepper.

Roast

  1. Transfer the turkey to a large, lightly oiled roasting pan and roast for about 3 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in a thigh registers 175°.

  2. Cover the turkey with foil if the skin begins to look very brown.

  3. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes.

Make the maple gravy

  1. Meanwhile, pour the pan juices into a heatproof bowl and skim off the fat.

  2. Set the roasting pan over 2 burners on high heat until sizzling.

  3. Add 1 cup of the Rich Turkey Stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom and side of the pan; add to the pan juices in the bowl.

  4. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.

  5. Add the flour and cook over moderately high heat for 1 minute.

  6. Add the pan juices and remaining 2 cups of turkey stock to the saucepan and cook, whisking, until the gravy is thickened and no floury taste remains, about 5 minutes.

  7. Stir in the maple syrup and season with salt and pepper.

  8. Strain the gravy into a gravy boat.

Serve

  1. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

835Calories
46 gProtein
17 gFat
122 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Chicken100g cooked165
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Maple Syrup1 tbsp (20ml)52
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Sage1 tsp ground (0.7g)2
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Sage + thymetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,485 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Thyme + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,057 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  3. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  4. Sage + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,445 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Turkey
Forms the main protein of the dish, cooked by slow roasting until tender and juicy.
Butter
Adds fat and richness, and helps carry flavor into the gravy base.
All-purpose flour
Thickens the gravy as it cooks with the fat and pan juices.
Maple syrup
Adds sweetness and a subtle caramel aroma to the gravy.
Turkey stock
Provides the liquid base and savory depth for the gravy.

The step that matters

Cooking the flour in the butter, then whisking in the liquid until thickened. Cooking the flour briefly in fat removes raw starch taste and helps it thicken evenly. Whisking while the liquid heats prevents lumps, and the gravy needs to cook until no floury taste remains.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (turkey, garlic, sage, thyme, parsley, pepper, butter):

  1. Shallotfits better
  2. Carrotfits better
  3. Chivefits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against turkey, garlic, sage, thyme, parsley, pepper, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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