We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the sixth consecutive year. This will be the first year since 2003 that I will not be pregnant or nursing, so it may even seem a bit easier.
I love having an occasion to really cut loose and make a production out of cooking. I'm a bit afraid to curse this by writing it, but I have a perfect record on my turkeys. No disasters, not even close.
So I thought I'd share my turkey method in case you are seeking one. I promise you there is no way to screw it up.
1. Prepare your turkey as usual -- get out the innards and take care of the neck.
2. Get a stick of butter and dice it into cubes. Shove the butter, and preferably fresh herbs, underneath the skin. Also rub butter on the outside of the skin.
3. Roughly chop some carrots, onions, celery and garlic and scatter them in the roasting pan. Situate the turkey on top of those.
4. Put the turkey in the oven at 500 degrees (!) for about 30 minutes. This browns the skin beautifully and seals in the juices. (Watch it after 20 minutes to make sure it doesn't char)
5. Take the turkey out and cover the breast only with a piece of foil that you've cut to fit. Make sure it sits on there snugly.
6. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Bake the turkey for the required time using the per-pound calculations as a guide. Use a thermometer to test doneness -- take it out of the oven once the thermometer reads 161 degrees in the breast.
7. Let the turkey sit at least 10-15 minutes before carving so you don't lose the juice.
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2 comments:
This looks like a good combination of many different recipes that I have read.
I plan on inserting butter under the skin just like that, except I have a recipe for herbed butter that I will use instead of plain butter. I'm hopeful that my bird will be a yummy 2nd attempt. (My 1st one turned out just fine, just not spectacular.)
I love the turkey in the bag. Works awesome every time. I'm thankful that I am not cooking this year. Cooking for my sir "pickies" has lost its appeal.
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