Crispy Skinned Herb Roasted Turkey Recipes

EASY HERB-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Clean turkey (discard giblets and organs), and place in a roasting pan with a lid.
• In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic powder, dried basil, ground sage, salt, and black pepper. Using a basting brush, apply the mixture to the outside of the uncooked turkey. Pour water into the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover.
• Bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh measures 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove bird from oven, and allow to stand for about 30 minutes before carving.

CRISPY-SKINNED HERB-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Two days before roasting, rinse, clean and dry the turkey thoroughly. In a food processor, pulse 2 tablespoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the granulated garlic, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and orange zest until uniform but still coarse, about 10 times. Rub the inside of the turkey with the salt mix, then carefully slip your fingers under the breast skin and rub a liberal amount under the skin. Flip the turkey on its side and sprinkle more of the salt mixture on the thigh, wing and leg. Repeat on the other side.
• Place the bird in a large zip-top bag or brining bag. (If neither is available, cover with plastic wrap.) Place the bird breast-side up on a wire rack on a sheet pan and then place in the fridge away from any raw food (on a lower shelf). Leave in the fridge for 2 days.
• The night before cooking, remove the turkey from the fridge and take it out of the plastic. The skin should be mostly dry and the salt should be dissolved; if any large patches of moisture are present, wipe with paper towels. Place back in the fridge, uncovered, for another 8 hours to dry out completely.
• On the day of, take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Fit a roasting pan with a wire V-rack. Put the turkey on the rack and brush with one-quarter of the melted butter. Roast 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 325° and continue roasting, basting occasionally with the remaining melted butter, until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about another 2 hours. Let the turkey rest 30 to 45 minutes before carving.
• 5. "This turkey is the perfect blend of moist, seasoned meat and crisp skin. It's the best darned thing I've ever made."
• Special equipment:
• ACTIVE: 30 min TOTAL: 3 hr (plus 2- to 3-day brining and refrigerating) SERVES: 10 to 12

THANKSGIVING PIONEER-STYLE HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
• Combine the butter, sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with half of the carrots, celery, and onion. Rub the entire turkey with herb butter and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Put 4 cups of the chicken stock in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
• Place the remaining vegetables on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Put the turkey on top of the vegetables, put in the oven, and roast in the oven until lightly golden brown, 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the warm chicken stock every 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 160 degrees F, about 2 to 2 1/4 hours longer. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to baking sheet and tent loosely with foil, and let rest 20 minutes before slicing.
• For the sage gravy:
• Strain the cooking liquid from the roasting pan into a medium saucepan (should be about 4 cups, if not, add more stock to make 4 cups). Add the neck, bring to a boil, add the sage leaves, remove from the heat, and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove the sage leaves.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced. Whisk in the stock and cook until thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and chopped sage.