Thanksgiving for Two

I can't say we were cheated out of Thanksgiving because I'm the one who decided that we should stay home instead of traveling to my parents' house. After catering an event over the previous weekend and jumping back into work on Monday we had to do limit ourselves to loafing when Thursday rolled around. Thankfully, our friends invited us to have dinner at their place, which meant the only thing I needed to make was salad dressing. We slept in, read books for hours then rolled down the street for a dinner that we didn't cook. It was great. I still felt I needed to cook some sort of ersatz Thanksgiving meal. Well-rested, I decided Sunday night was the time. Just like chicken, with turkey I believe cooking the entire bird for the same length of time is a mistake due to the cooked thigh/leg = dry breast tradeoff. I killed several birds with one stone by purchasing a bone-in turkey breast half from the grocery store for just under $11. Not only was it affordable and the correct amount of meat for the two of us but I could roast it according to its characterstics and end up with a perfectly cooked result. Also, the leftovers solved our need for the week's sandwiches. I brined the breast for about four hours in a weak sugar/saltwater mixture in the fridge then rinsed and dried it just prior to roasting. I set the convectionoven to 350 (which is more like 400) , heated the oiled roasting pan on the burner, salted the breast and browned it, skin side down, in the pan on the stovetop. This step was to insure crispy skin by the time the breast was done cooking internally. Just before putting the roasting pan in the oven I threw into it a coarsely chopped carrot, celery stalk and onion with a bay leaf and some thyme sprigs and a cup of water. It roasted away for about an hour and fifteen minutes while I periodically added water to the pan to prevent the aromatic vegetables from scorching. As you can see, the vegetable turned an intense brown, which paid dividends when making the gravy. I pulled the turkey out when it hit 150 degrees on the remote thermometer (a wise investment), knowing it would rise about another 10 degrees while resting. I removed the spent vegetables from the roaster and deglazed the pan on the stovetop with some chicken broth and white wine. When the crusties were loose I strained it into a measuring cup. I melted butter in a saucepan and whisked in flour constantly to create a roux. I let the flour/roux get nice and toasty brown because I was not going to make another pale gravy. I then whisked in chicken broth and the reserved pan juices, which were a deep brown color. I periodically whisked the gravy while it simmered and made the green beans at the same time (boiled in salted water for four minutes, drained, dressed with a little butter). The gravy turned out great - close to the best gravy I've ever had (my mom's). The turkey breast was cooked perfectly - very moist, tender and flavorful. The wife made an old family stuffing recipe - simple yet delicious and the perfect accompaniment. The green beans played a perfect supporting role by not competing with the other dishes. The wine was a cheap white Pinot Grigio from Paso Robles. I would have preferred a more dry Italian Pinot Grigio but in the spirit of Thanksgiving I'm not complaining.