Roast Turkey Breast and Gravy

INGREDIENTS :

3 large onions, sliced in half

3 carrots, sliced in half lengthwise

3 stalks celery

1 (6 pound) turkey breast

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup Madeira wine

2 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

COOKING DIRECTIONS :

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Rinse turkey breast; pat dry. Rub breast with salt and pepper.
2. Strew roasting pan with onions, carrots, and celery; set turkey over vegetables. Roast until breast is cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours; interior temperature should be about 170 degrees F.
3. Cut breast in half; transfer one half to a cutting board, tent with foil to warm, and set aside. Reserve other half for later use.
4. Place roasting pan over two medium-hot burners on range. Sprinkle cooked vegetables and drippings with flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until flour forms a golden-brown film over bottom of roasting pan and vegetables are completely coated with film and turkey drippings, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let pan get too hot, or drippings will burn.
5. Pour Madeira slowly into pan, and cook, scraping up film from pan with a wooden spoon until a thin paste forms, about 1 minute. Slowly add stock, stirring, until paste thins to a thick liquid. Continue adding stock, stirring, until gravy is desired consistency. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a splash more Madeira if desired. Strain gravy, pressing down on solids with a rubber spatula to extract juices and flavor. Discard solids; transfer gravy to the top of a double boiler to keep warm, or let cool and refrigerate.

Yield: 6 servings

MORE :

Use leftovers to make an open-faced turkey sandwich with mushroom gravy.

The Mediterranean flavors of a warm tomato tapenade will brighten all kinds of white fish as well as chicken. Make It a Meal: Orzo and sauteed spinach will round out this meal.

Notes:

Ingredient Note

Overfishing and trawling have drastically reduced the number of cod in the Atlantic Ocean and destroyed its sea floor. A better choice is Pacific cod (aka Alaska cod); it is more sustainably fished and has a larger, more stable population, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch (www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp).

NUTRITION INFO :

Per Serving

• Calories: 611 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 14 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Fat: 3 g
• Protein: 120 g
• Sugars: 8 g