Garlic Roast Turkey Breast and Gravy

So I know turkey is usually reserved for Thanksgiving, but my grocery store had turkey breasts on sale a couple of weeks ago.  I am a sucker for a sale, so I decided to give it a go.  I knew I could make turkey stock from the carcass (sorry, I know, gross word), and would have leftover meat, so I would get at least two meals out of it.  Bonus.

I planned to prepare it for a Sunday dinner when I would have my brother and sister with us.  However, my oldest daughter came down with the flu the night before, so we ended up sending tupperwares of food with my sister, and Caleb and I ate ours on the couch while we watched Food Network.  Not exactly the nice dinner I was planning, but delicious all the same!  The turkey was perfectly moist, and the garlic-herb flavor went all through the meat.  It was not your regular old boring turkey!

I used dried herbs because the only fresh herb I had in the house was cilantro, but fresh would be even better.  Substitute in one bunch each of your favorite herbs, chopped.

Garlic Roast Turkey Breast:

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1 turkey breast (mine was 7.6 lbs)

2 Tbs softened butter

2 cloves finely minced garlic

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp oregano

1 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper 

flour and water for gravy

Preheat oven to 425*.

Thaw turkey breast, if frozen (this will take a couple of days in the refrigerator).  Rinse cavity and outside of bird, and pat dry.  Place into roasting pan.  Remember when working with raw poultry to wash your hands and sanitize anything that comes in contact with the meat or any juices.  

Mix garlic and herbs into softened butter.  Gently make a pocket under the skin by separating the skin from the breast along the bottom, but leaving it attached on the sides. Separate all the way up to the breastbone.  Repeat on the other side. Using your hands, spread butter mix inside the pockets, saving just a little to spread on the outside of the skin.  Salt and pepper lightly.  Pour chicken stock into bottom of roasting pan, and place in oven.

Roast on 425*, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  Turn oven down to 325* and continue to roast uncovered until internal temperature reaches 170* (for a 7 1/2 lb breast, this was 2 1/2 hours).  If the skin is browning too quickly, you may cover it with foil.  Transfer to serving plate.  Let rest, covered or tented with foil for 15-30 minutes before carving.

To make gravy, place roasting pan with juices on the stove over med-high heat.  Combine equal parts cold water and flour (this is called a slurry--the amount will depend on how much juice your turkey made and how thick you like your gravy.  You can start with about 1/4 cup each), and whisk until smooth.  When pan juices are boiling, pour slurry through a sieve or fine mesh strainer into roasting pan.  Whisk constantly while pouring, and cook until desired thickness.  Taste and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Serve alongside turkey.