I’d most definitely try this with mashed “potatoes” made with cauliflower. We’ve had those and they really are quite delicious! But because of our time crunch and the fact that I didn’t think ahead about a side, I mean come on, this was an impromptu buy, we just had regular mashed potatoes. I suppose that’s better than instant mashed potatoes, right? Oh and as crazy as this is, my Trader Joes had left over cornbread stuffing out on the shelf so I had gone ahead and bought some a few weeks prior, so I made that too. My husband was in heaven! I’d make this again and give it 4 stars. It most definitely was not a Thanksgiving turkey roasted in the oven, but a tasty mid-year Thanksgiving treat!

Crock Pot Turkey and Gravy

Adapted from skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
• 2 celery ribs, chopped medium
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tbsp fresh sage
• 2 bay leaves
• 4-5 lb whole bone-in turkey breast, skin on, trimmed of fat
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook until onion is soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of broth and scrape up any browned bits and smooth out any lumps; transfer to slow cooker.

Stir in remaining broth, water, wine, sage, and bay leaves into the slow cooker. Season turkey with salt and pepper, place skin side up in the slow cooker, cover and cook 5 to 7 hours on low, or until the turkey reaches 165 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.

Transfer turkey to a cutting board tent loosely with with foil and let it rest 20 minutes. Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove the fat from the surface using a large spoon or a gravy fat separator. Strain braising liquid into saucepan, discard celery, bay leaves and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Discard the skin and carve the turkey and serve with gravy. Makes 2 1/2 cups of gravy.