Roast Turkey Recipes

Roast Turkey with Wild Mushroom Gravy
Via Good Housekeeping.

What recipe do you use to roast your Thanksgiving Turkey?  A tried and true family recipe?  Or are you adventurous and try something new every year?  If you are ready for something different this year, here are some delicious looking recipes to consider.  We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family!



Roast Turkey with Wild Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:
1 (14-pound) fresh or frozen (thawed) turkey
1 lemon
1 cup(s) (loosely packed) fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/4   cup(s) (loosely packed) fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 tablespoon(s) fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
1 medium stalk celery, coarsely chopped
2 small onions, each cut into quarters
2 small onions, each cut into quarters
2 tablespoon(s) margarine or butter
8 ounce(s) sliced white mushrooms
6 ounce(s) sliced cremini mushrooms
4 ounce(s) sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup(s) dry white wine
1 can(s) (14- to 14.5-ounce) chicken broth (up to 2 cans, if needed)
1/3   cup(s) all-purpose flour
Fresh herbs and fruit for garnish

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavity; set aside. Discard liver or save for another use. Cut neck into several large pieces. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold running water and drain well; pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, breast side up, on small rack in large roasting pan (17" by 11 1/2"). Scatter giblets and neck in pan around turkey.

2.  From lemon, grate 1 teaspoon peel and place in small bowl. Cut lemon in half and set aside. To bowl with lemon peel, add parsley, sage, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and stir until blended.

3.  In medium bowl, place olive oil, carrot, and celery; stir in 2 tablespoons herb mixture to coat vegetables. Place vegetable mixture in pan around turkey. Sprinkle remaining herb mixture inside body and neck cavities, and rub all over outside of turkey. Squeeze juice from lemon halves into both cavities, and place lemon halves and 4 onion quarters in body cavity. Place remaining 4 onion quarters in pan around turkey. Fold wings under back of turkey so they stay in place. If drumsticks are not held by band of skin or stuffing clamp, tie legs together with string.

4. Cover turkey with a loose tent of foil; roast 2 1/2 hours. Remove foil and roast about 1 1/4 hours longer.

5.  About 20 minutes before turkey finishes roasting, cook mushrooms for gravy: In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat margarine on medium until melted. Add all mushrooms and cook, covered, 6 minutes. Uncover and cook 11 to 12 minutes longer or until tender and golden, stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat; set aside until ready to complete gravy.

6.  Turkey is done when temperature on meat thermometer, inserted into thickest part of thigh next to body (not touching bone), reaches 175 degrees to 180 degrees and breast temperature reaches 165 degrees. (Internal temperature of turkey will rise 5 degrees to 10 degrees upon standing.)

7.  When turkey is done, carefully lift from roasting pan and tilt slightly to allow juices to run into pan. Place turkey on large platter; cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

8.  Complete gravy: Remove rack from roasting pan. Strain pan drippings into 4-cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, leaving giblets and neck in pan. Let drippings stand 1 minute to allow fat to separate from meat juices. Spoon 1/4 cup fat from drippings into 2-quart saucepan. Discard any remaining fat.

9.  Place roasting pan over 2 burners on top of range and cook 2 to 4 minutes on medium-high to brown giblets, neck, and bits on bottom of pan, stirring constantly. Carefully add wine to roasting pan and boil about 3 minutes or until wine is reduced by half, stirring until browned bits are loosened from bottom of pan. Strain wine mixture into meat juices in measuring cup; add any additional meat juices on platter. Discard giblets and neck. Add enough broth to meat-juice mixture in cup to equal 4 cups total. (You may have some broth left over; save for use another day.)


10.  With wire whisk, mix flour into fat in saucepan; cook on medium 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture turns golden-brown, whisking constantly. While still whisking, gradually add meat-juice mixture to saucepan; cook on medium-high until mixture boils and thickens, stirring frequently; boil 1 minute. Stir in mushroom mixture; heat through. Pour gravy into gravy boat and serve with turkey. Garnish turkey platter with herbs and fruit. Makes about 6 cups gravy.



Herb Roasted Turkey
Via Southern Living
Herb Roasted Turkey

Ingredients: 
1 (14-lb.) whole fresh turkey* 
Kitchen string
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
3 teaspoons salt 
1 teaspoon pepper 
1/4 cup butter, softened 
2 medium onions, chopped 
2 carrots, chopped 
2 celery ribs, chopped 
1 garlic bulb, halved
1 cup dry white wine 
Garnish: fresh sage leaves

Directions: 
1. Remove giblets and neck from turkey, and rinse turkey with cold water. Drain cavity well; pat dry. Tie ends of legs together with kitchen string; tuck wingtips under. Place, breast side up, on a lightly greased roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 400°. Stir together thyme, next 2 ingredients, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper; rub mixture into cavity of turkey. Rub butter over turkey. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper over outside of turkey; rub into skin. Arrange onions and next 3 ingredients around base of turkey in roasting pan; add wine and 1 cup water to pan.

3. Place turkey in oven; reduce oven temperature to 325°. Bake at 325° for 3 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of thigh registers 160°.

4. Remove turkey from oven; increase heat to 425°. Baste turkey with pan juices, and let stand 15 minutes; return to oven. Bake at 425° for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and thermometer registers 165°.

5. Let turkey stand in pan 30 minutes; transfer to a serving platter. Reserve pan drippings for Easy Turkey Gravy, if desired.

*Frozen whole turkey, thawed, may be substituted.

Recipe brought to the table by chef Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, Alabama.



Marmalade-Glazed Roast Turkey
Via BHG.

Marmalade-Glazed Roast Turkey

Ingredients
1 15 pound fresh turkey (preferable organic)*, at room temperature**
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Herbed Bread and Cherry Cranberry Stuffing
1 slice bread
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 recipe Garlic Roasted Root Vegetables
1 recipe Homemade Giblet Gravy
1/4 cup citrus or desired flavor marmalade
1/2 teaspoon orange peel
Open Coupon Book

Directions:
Remove turkey from refrigerator 30 minutes before working with it, so it comes to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Arrange oven rack so turkey will fit on the middle shelf without touching top shelf.

Rinse turkey and remove the giblets. Reserve neck, gizzard and heart for Giblet Gravy. Discard liver. Pat turkey dry with paper towels.

Lightly grease bottom of a large roasting pan with vegetable oil. Season all over with salt and pepper, inside the cavity and outside the skin. Loosely stuff both the body and neck cavities of the turkey with the stuffing, being careful not to overstuff the bird. Use the whole slice of bread as a "door' to keep the stuffing inside the body cavity so it won't fall out while roasting. Carefully place the bird in the roasting pan, breast side up. if you want to use a roasting rack simply place the bird on the rack and set inside the pan.

Sprinkle top of the bird with paprika. Using a piece of 100% cotton kitchen string tie the drumsticks together.

Loosely cover with foil. Roast the turkey 4 to 5 hours, about 15 to 20 minutes per pound. (Fresh turkey tends to cook faster than thawed frozen turkeys.) Meanwhile, prepare Garlic Roasted Root Vegetables with turkey stock for Giblet Gravy.

Spoon juices from bottom of roasting pan over turkey every hour or so, removing foil for the last hour of roasting to give turkey a golden brown glaze. During the last 30 minutes of roasting, add the Garlic Roasted Root Vegetables to roasting pan, brush turkey with marmalade, and sprinkle with orange peel.

To test for doneness: The turkey should be golden brown; when a drumstick is wiggled, it should feel slightly loose; and juices should run clear. Internal Temperature should be 170F in the breast, 180F in the thigh, and 165F in the stuffing. Gently remove turkey from roasting pan and place on a serving platter; cover loosely with foil. Let rest 20 minutes before carving. Remove the stuffing from turkey and place in a serving bowl; discard slice of bread. Arrange Garlic Roasted Root Vegetables around turkey and garnish with sage sprigs. Carve and serve with the hot gravy on the side. Makes 10 to 12 4-oz. servings plus leftovers.


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