Holiday Turkey
Just before we were getting ready to celebrate our first Thanksgiving, David and I had a motorcycle accident at Horseshoe Bay. Nothing tragic except David’s pinky got broken and I had a few bones on the top of my hand fractured.
To make a long story short, we didn’t do anything crazy on that particular Holiday. One of David’s friends invited us over for turkey dinner but we were not “in shape” to go anywhere. As I said, both of us felt pretty rough so having a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving was out of the question but I certainly didn’t miss the opportunity to make my Holiday Turkey for Christmas dinner a couple of months later.
This traditional dish is always welcome year after year. While slowly roasting in the oven and the aroma floating through the air, this meal is a true Holiday treat. I like to serve mine with my Citrus Cranberry Sauce along with my Squash à la Canadienne, Old Fashioned Stuffing, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions and either Dinner Rolls or Mediterranean Olive Bread.
Of course, the gravy boat is sitting right on the table with this lovely Holiday Turkey. In the past, I have ended up with not enough gravy for the crowd. I do have a “cheat” recipe for that… my Turkey Gravy without Drippings. The taste is perfect and no one so far has noticed any difference… shhh, it’s our secret!
When I make this Holiday Turkey dish, I go crazy on the butter. First, I separate the skin from the breast, making sure not to detach the skin that separates each breast. From there, I scoop about ¼ cup of my Basil Lemon Butter per breast and spread it under the skin evenly. After it’s done, I take more butter (just regular) and rub the turkey generously. I also pour a little chicken broth in the roasting pan around the bird. All these steps give a fair amount of pan juice to make the gravy.
Depending on the size, the cooking time varies but the important thing to keep in mind is the internal temperature of this big bird has to reach 170ºF. I like to use a probe because it gives me an accurate temperature as well as an idea on when to start my other dishes. So a rough cooking estimate in the oven at 325ºF is about 20 minutes per pound.
I’m sure your turkey tastes just beautiful but I have to say that mine is quite flavorful. This coming Holiday or next time you want to cook a nice juicy big bird, you definitely have to try my Holiday Turkey recipe…
Bon Appétit!!
UPDATE: I stated that the internal temperature should be at 170ºF but it was a mistake and actually it should be at 180ºF.
Check out these other incredible Holiday recipes…
– Braised Beef Short Ribs with Sherry & Shiitake
– Turkey Gravy without Drippings
– Crown Roast of Pork
– Squash à la Canadienne
– Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
– Veal Ossobuco
and for even more Holiday recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Holidays & Events
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
Holiday Turkey
Hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 large turkey, neck and giblets reserved Footnote
- 1/2 cup red onions, roughly chopped
- 4 large sprigs rosemary tips & tricks
- 1/2 tbsp. poultry seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp. ground sage
- 1/2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/4 cup basil lemon butter, room temperature see Recipe
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature tips & tricks
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika, or as needed
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Directions
- Preheat oven at 325ºF.
- Remove neck and giblets; set them aside to make the Old Fashioned Stuffing. Thoroughly rinse the turkey under cold water and drain well.
- Transfer it to a cutting board and tuck the wings under. Add onions, rosemary sprigs, poultry seasoning, sage and freshly ground black pepper to the bird’s cavity.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently slide it between the skin and the meat of each breast half to separate it making sure not to pierce or break the skin.
- Take about 2 tbsp. basil lemon butter per breast, slide it under the skin and move it around to evenly distribute it.
- Rub regular butter all over the bird and transfer to a roasting pan.
- Season the turkey generously with paprika and more freshly ground black pepper. Pour chicken broth in the pan to jump start the pan juice.
- Cover the legs with foil and loosely place a sheet of foil on top of the breast.
- Insert a probe in the thickest part of the thigh and transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 180ºF, about 3 ½ hours or more depending on the size of the turkey, basting often, .
- Remove the foil during the last hour of cooking and baste the turkey with the pan juices.
- For brown crusty skin, increase the temperature to broil, baste generously and cook for a few minutes watching it closely.
- Remove the turkey from the oven, baste with the broth from the roasting pan one more time (keep the pan juices to make the gravy), transfer to a serving plate and cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil; allow to rest in a warm area for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Don't forget to rate and comment on this recipe!
