This Italian-inspired turkey breast is rubbed with spices and herbs before being wrapped in crispy bacon for a second roast in the oven—it's an impressive dish that will leave your guests wanting more. Serve a rich gravy alongside. What's the fastest way to roast a turkey for Thanksgiving? The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. An unexpected boon of spatchcocking is how beautifully it streamlines the entire brining process: Without a backbone, the turkey can just be folded in half and slipped into a two-gallon zipper-top plastic bag containing the buttermilk and salt. Dark beer and barley malt syrup add a richness to the brine, which infuses this turkey with flavor. I set about tinkering, and the first thing I changed was timing. Inspired by the Chinese technique of red-cooking, this turkey recipe from Chef Anita Lo spotlights star anise, cinnamon, and ginger. We've spiked ours with creamy roasted garlic for a juicy, flavor-packed bird. Furthermore, laying the bird out flat means there’s greater surface area for browning — more of that dark, lacquered skin for everyone. The breast goes into the oven at a relatively high temperature to take on some color, then finishes low and slow for extreme juiciness. This spatchcocked bird comes comes with some festive Italian flavors. Next, the salt. Spatchcocking ensures a more evenly cooked bird in less time, and takes up less room in your oven: win-win! The turkey drippings may be used to prepare a gravy by placing a metal pan under the turkey inside the roasting pan, and mixing in about 1/2 cup water, adding more water as necessary to prevent the drippings from scorching. Place turkey on rack, and transfer to oven. Rotate pan halfway (on same rack), brush with half of honey mixture, and … Salted Roast Turkey with Herbs and Shallot-Dijon Gravy. The most delicious recipes for the meal's main attraction, from classics to unexpected new twists. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui. Pushing a buttery spice paste underneath the turkey's skin allows the flavor to perfume the meat—and gives it extra juiciness. Every November, people ask Samin Nosrat if her beloved roast chicken recipe works with turkey. The chicken takes a simple overnight dip in the buttermilk, but a turkey weighs three times as much as a chicken, so it needs to spend a full 48 hours in the brine to ensure the meat is tender and properly seasoned throughout. The injector and instructions for frying came with our fryer which was a good thing because this original recipe didn't explain all the nuances of frying a turkey. The turkey is covered in a savory mustard-tarragon mixture before it roasts over herby potatoes, leeks, and green beans. For someone who didn’t grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, I’ve got a lot of strong opinions about turkey. If you're worried you won't have enough meat for next-day sandwiches or you simply don't want to bother with a giant turkey, the bone-in breast is your ticket. With plenty of red onion, lemon, and oregano, it'll reaching the height of poultry perfection. Just slip the bag in wherever it fits, turn it two or three times a day, and that’s it. It's the best way to cook Thanksgiving turkey and still free up your oven. And I once took an impromptu call from the famed rancher Bill Niman. This easy turkey breast is just the right amount to serve Thanksgiving for two with leftovers, or four if you're not into post-feast sandwiches. The last and most obvious change was my decision to spatchcock the turkey. Here are hundreds of our best Thanksgiving recipes from NYT Cooking to help.]. I’ve roasted, braised, grilled, spit-roasted and deep-fried it. While in the chicken recipe, the lactose in the buttermilk contributes to perfectly golden-brown skin, I’d worried that a turkey’s significantly longer cooking time might yield a blackened bird. So, if you’ve got one, I encourage you to use a scale to measure out your salt to ensure a balanced brine. A dairy-infused pork sausage stuffing infuses this turkey breast with richness and perfumes the meat with warm spices. Skip the whole turkey: instead, roast bone-in breasts and legs. Delicious, juicy and tender, this recipe was given to me by a true Cajun sixteen years ago and has been on our Thanksgiving table ever since. I also know that different salts have different levels of salinity by volume, but not by weight. Caution: hot stuff coming through. (Though if it was underseasoned or overcooked, it was certainly less exciting to eat.). Say bye-bye, dry birdie! This method isn't just faster—it's also easier to carve and serve. First, toast and grind whole spices to coax out their essential oils. She decided to find out. Pan-roasted in a garlic, orange, and red chile sauce, these beauties will give you a reason to cook turkey more than once a year. Ad Choices. The technique: butterfly and flatten the bird like a book. There’s no unwieldy pot or bowl taking up all of your refrigerator space. This single recipe is a complete Thanksgiving dinner. Here, we've gathered a bounty: 56 of our favorite recipes for our favorite holiday centerpiece, whether you're looking to glaze your bird with bourbon and brown sugar (side note: RECOMMEND), grill it under a brick, or just tweak the classic, traditional turkey to make it a little bit more juicy and tasty. Mayonnaise! Dark meat lovers, this one's for you. Roasting turkey in pieces is a great strategy when cooking for a large crowd. Buy a second bird. Basting with a simple garlic-herb butter gives the turkey an extra depth of flavor that will complement any Thanksgiving side dish. Looking for a classic turkey with some added depth of flavor? Adding bourbon makes the turkey skin glisten and brings a nutty, caramel-like flavor that's enhanced by the soy sauce and brown sugar. Unlike most brined turkeys, this one can be stuffed because the apple-cider brine contains less salt than the typical recipe. The key is to buy a bird in the Goldilocks-range of 14 to 16 pounds, which will feed at least 10 people. I remember that I took lots of notes and that some birds tasted much more turkey-ish than others. [Thanksgiving will be different this year. recipe Electric Oven: Perfect Turkey "I went in search of an amazing turkey recipe when I got a new roaster, and, boy, did I find it!