Turkey Recipes

Title: Baked Turkey

      1 ea Turkey, any weight
    1/2 c  Butter, in slices
    1/2 c  Oil
      4 ea Cloves garlic pressed
      1 ts Allspice
      1 ts Seasoning salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place turkey in roasting pan. Lift skin above body cavity and insert butter slices. Rub oil all over skin on body of bird. Sprinkle with seasonings.

Cover the top of the turkey with aluminum foil. Wrap the overlapping foil around the top of the roasting pan. Cover with lid also, if available.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and figure amount of cooking time at 20 minutes per pound.

Remove foil during last 20 minutes of cooking to allow skin to brown.

Title: Golden Roast Turkey

     16 lb Turkey
      1 c  Butter or Margarine, Melted
    1/4 ts Salt
    1/4 ts Pepper

Remove giblets and neck from turkey; wash, and set aside.

Wash turkey thoroughly inside and out. Pat dry with towels. Remove any excess fat.

Prepare your choice of dressing.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Spoon some of dressing into neck cavity of turkey. Bring skin of neck over back; fasten with poultry pin.

Spoon remaining dressing into body cavity; DO NOT pack.

Insert 4 or 5 poultry pins at regular intervals. Lace cavity closed with twine, bootlace fashion and then tie.

Bend wing tips under body, or fasten to body with poultry pins. Tie ends of legs together. Insert meat thermometer in inside of thigh at thickest part.

Place turkey on rack in shallow roasting pan. Brush with some butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast uncovered and brushing occasionally with remaining butter and pan drippings; about 4 hours, or until meat thermometer registers 185 degrees F. Leg joint should move freely.

When turkey begins to turn golden, cover with a loose tent of foil, to prevent burning.

While turkey roasts, cook giblets and neck.

When done, place turkey on heated serving platter. Remove the foil, twine, and poultry pins. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

Make gravy. Serves 14 to 16.

Approximate baking time is 18 minutes per pound.
 
Bob Hogan

Title: Herb Roasted Turkey with Mushroom Gravy

     10 lb To 12 lb. turkey; thawed
           -if frozen
      4    Sprigs fresh thyme
      4    Sprigs fresh rosemary
      1 md Onion; quartered
      1    Lemon; Use peel only, cut
           -into strips
      1 c  Dried mushrooms;
           -reconstituted*
      1 c  Low-sodium chicken broth
      1 oz (2 Tb) dry white wine; or
           -increase broth by 2 Tb.
      2 ts Potato starch
    1/2 ts Dried chives
    1/4 ts -Salt
    1/8 ts Freshly ground black pepper

*To reconstitute mushrooms, cover 1/2 ounce dried sliced mushrooms with 1 1/2 cups warm water. Let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Remove turkey giblets and neck from body cavities. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry with paper towels.

Starting at neck, using your fingers, gently loosen skin over entire breast.

Place thyme and rosemary sprigs spread evenly under skin; pat skin back in place. Place onion and lemon peel in body cavity.

Place turkey breast-side up on rack in roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until meat thermometer inserted in fleshy part of inner thigh (not touching bone) reaches 180 F.

Let stand 15 minutes before carving. Remove skin before eating.

Meanwhile, to prepare gravy, pour pan drippings into a 2-cup measure; let stand 5 minutes.

Skim off and discard fat; pour remaining liquid into small saucepan.

Add mushrooms and 1 cup mushroom liquid, broth, wine, potato starch, chives, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes.

Serve with turkey.

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Title: Moist Holiday Turkey

     18 lb Tom Or Hen Turkey *
    1/4 lb Butter
      3 tb Fresh Orange Juice
           Stuffing of Choice **
           Salt

 * Fresh or frozen.
** Do not add any salt to your stuffing mix.

Preheat oven to 325øF.

Remove the giblets from the bird. Rub the inside of the clean body cavity with salt until there is a coating of salt over the whole inside.  This holds the juice inside the bird and the salt will season your dressing. Even after cooking most of the salt will remain inside of the body cavity.

Place the stuffing in the bird and close the body cavity.

Melt the butter and add the orange juice.

Baste the turkey with the butter/orange juice mixture. Place a meat thermometer between the thigh and body in the meaty part of the thigh, not touching any bone.

Bake until the thermometer reads 190 degrees F, basting frequently. When the skin turns golden brown, tent the bird with a large sheet of aluminum foil.

Allow the turkey to cool while making gravy, then carve and serve a moist holiday tradition.

Title: My Lazy Oven Turkey

     12 lb Turkey *
      1 md Onion
      1 ts Dry thyme
      1 ts Dry rosemary
      1 ts Dry sage
           Salt and pepper

*   8-14 pound
 
Remove giblets and neck from turkey; set aside.

Rinse and drain turkey. Pat dry. Use a covered roasting pan that just fits the bird.

Cut onion in half and place inside turkey. Blend herbs and make a paste with a little fat. Spread on outside of turkey and press into skin. Tie legs together.

Pour 1/2 inch water into pan and cover with lid. Place pan in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or til meat thermometer registers 185 degrees.

Uncover for last 10 minutes to brown if desired.

Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before carving.

Drain liquid into a pot and return turkey to a warm oven til ready to carve (after standing 15 minutes).

Title: Roast Turkey with Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing

      1 ea Turkey 21 pounds
      2 ea Oranges cut in half
      1 ts Dried thyme
           Salt pepper to taste
      2 c  Butter, room temp.
Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing:
      1 c  Diced, dried apricots
  1 1/2 c  Grand Marnier
           Turkey liver and heart
      1 c  Unsalted butter
      2 c  Coarsly chopped celery
      1 lg Yellow onion,chopped
      1 lb Bulk pork sausage
      1 lb Herb stuffing mix
      1 c  Slivered almonds
      2 c  Chicken stock
    1/2 ts Dried thyme
           Salt and pepper to taste

Make the stuffing (see below).

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry. Squeeze the juice of the oranges all over the turkey and in the neck and body cavities.

Spoon the stuffing loosly into the cavities. Set aside any extra stuffing. Sew up the cavities or close with small trussing skewers.

Place the turkey on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Sprinkle all over with tyme and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the butter all over the turkey. Turn breast side up in the pan and cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Place turkey in the oven and reduce heat to 425 degrees F.

Roast for 3 hours.

Remove the foil and roast, basting occasionally, until the juices run clear when the meaty part of the theigh is pierced with a sharp skewer, about 2 more hours.

Bake leftover stuffing in a baking dish at 325 for 30 minutes.

Let turkey stand, covered with foil for 15 minutes before carving.
 
Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing::
 
Place the apricots and 1 cup of Grand Marnier in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Simmer the turkey liver and heart in water to cover in a small saucepan for 5 minutes; set aside and cool.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and saute for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Cook the pork sausage in the same skillet, crumbling with a fork, until it is no longer pink.

Remove and add to the celery mixture. Add the stuffing mix, apricots with liquid, and almonds.

Finely dice the turkey liver and heart and add to the stuffing mixture, stir to combine.
 
Heat the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the stock in a small saucepan just until the butter melts. Pour over the stuffing mixture and add the remaining 1/2 cup Grand Marnier. Stir well to moisten the stuffing. Season with thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
 
Enough for a 21-24 pound turkey.

Title: Super-Moist Roast Turkey

     12 lb Turkey; thawed to room temp
    1/2 ts Salt
    1/2 ts Pepper
    1/4 c  Onions; finely chopped
    1/4 c  Carrots; finely chopped
    1/4 c  Celery; finely chopped
    1/4 c  Turnip; finely chopped
      3 cl Garlic; thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Sprinkle turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Tuck wings under turkey. Place turkey in an oven roasting bag.

Scatter onions, carrots, celery, turnip and garlic over and around turkey. Fold the top of the bag over and place turkey, breast up. in a small roasting pan. Add about an inch of water.
 
Roast turkey 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the leg (but not touching the bone) reaches 165 to 170 degrees.

Carefully tear open and remove the bag.

Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Roast 30 minutes longer, or until the thermometer registers 180 degrees, basting with the pan juices every 5 minutes. Turkey should be golden brown.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully transfer turkey to a platter, letting the juices run back into the pan; reserve juices for the gravy.

Cover the bird with foil and let stand for 20 minutes before carving. (In the meantime, make gravy.) Makes about 16 servings.

Be sure to check out our Christmas Turkey Dinners Recipes, turkey leftovers, and more ideas for Christmas dinners

 

Links to more turkey recipes:

5 Recipes for turkey leftovers