My Bohemian grandmother used caraway seed in her cooking all the time – in soft and salty rye bread, with dill in scrambled eggs, with pork loins and bread dumplings with sauerkraut – even in the Thanksgiving sage stuffing. It has a distinctive flavor that I’ve always loved, and if you haven’t tried it on your Thanksgiving turkey, this might be the year.
And the gravy from the caraway-rich drippings! Don’t miss it – it’s amazing, maybe the best thing ever on mashed potatoes and more stuffing. Happy Thanksgiving – you’re going to love this.
Roast Turkey with Caraway Seeds
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 2 1/2 hours for the turkey, 1 hour for the stuffing, ten minutes for the gravy
Ingredients
- 1 8-10 pound turkey for roasting
- 2 cubes Knorr chicken bouillon cubes
- 2 tablespoons caraway seed
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Wash turkey thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place in a large roasting pan, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and caraway seed.
- Put bouillon cubes in bottom of roasting pan, to dissolve in the juices that will collect in the pan as the turkey roasts.
- Bake for 15 minutes per pound at 375 degrees. Baked uncovered, but if turkey starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. To test for doneness, stick a fork in it (now you know where that saying comes from) and if the juices that run out are clear, the turkey is done.
- Remove from oven and allow turkey to rest 15-20 minutes.
- The turkey can be carved in the kitchen or at the table; we prefer to carve in the kitchen, so that the turkey is hot for everyone. Drizzle with gravy before serving.
