Roast Turkey Complete Dinner Recipes

ROAST TURKEY FOR 6

Steps:

• GET AHEAD
• 1. Check the main turkey cavity for the bag of giblets; if they're in there, remove and tip them into your roasting tray, discarding the bag. The added flavour they'll give your gravy will be incredible - trust me.
• 2. Peel the onions, wash the carrots and roughly chop with the celery or the leek tops, then add to the tray with the unpeeled garlic cloves.
• 3. Place your stuffing in the neck cavity, then pull the skin back over it and tuck it under the bird. You'll get a good contrast between the soft, juicy stuffing here inside the turkey, and the crispier stuff you can bake separately in a dish.
• 4. Place the softened butter on a board and press down with your hands. Pick over 3 sprigs of thyme, finely zest ½ a clementine and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and scrunch all together to make your flavoured butter.
• 5. Halve the clementines and place in the main turkey cavity with the remaining thyme - not filling it too full allows hot air to circulate, cooking the bird from the inside out and from the outside in.
• 6. Get your turkey and use a spatula to work your way between the skin and the meat. Start at the side of the cavity just above the leg and work gently up towards the breastbone and towards the back so you create a large cavity. Pick up your butter and push it into the cavity you've created. Use your hands to push it through the skin right to the back so it coats the breast meat as evenly as possible. Do the same on the other side.
• 7. Drizzle the turkey all over with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and generously sprinkle from all sides with salt and pepper.
• 8. Cover the turkey snugly with tin foil and place it on top of the trivet in the tray.
• ON THE DAY
• 1. Take your turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before it's due to go in the oven.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
• 3. You want to cook a higher-welfare bird for 25 to 30 minutes per kg and a standard bird is 35 to 40 minutes per kg. For a 4kg bird, pop it in the oven for 1 hour 40 minutes, basting several times with all the lovely juices in the tray and covering with foil when beautifully golden brown.
• 4. The simplest way to check it's cooked is to stick a knife into the thickest part of the thigh - if the juices run clear, it's done.
• 5. Use heavy-duty tongs to lift up your bird so all the juices run from the cavity into the tray, then transfer the turkey to a platter and leave to rest for up to 2 hours while you crack on. You can cover it with a double layer of tin foil and a clean tea towel to keep warm, if you like.
• 6. Skim away the fat from the turkey tray, save it in a jar, and leave to cool. When cold, transfer to the fridge for cooking with at a later date.
• CARVING THE TURKEY
• 1. Once the turkey has rested, it's time to carve. There are two ways you can do this.
• - The first method is to remove the wings, slice the skin beside the legs, then pull out and chop the legs off. You can either slice or pull this brown meat - it's so tasty. Keep it warm while you move on to the breast meat. Use the full length of the knife in a nice smooth action to slice through the breast meat, transferring it to a platter as you go.
• - Alternatively, remove the leg as above, then feel where the backbone is and cut with the length of your knife all the way down beside it until you hit the carcass. You can then lift the whole breast off the bone. Remove to a board and slice.

A SIMPLY PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
• Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
• Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 4 hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Select a turkey that is plump and meaty with smooth, moist-looking skin. The skin should be creamy colored. The cut ends of the bones should be pink to red in color.
• If the turkey is frozen, thaw it either slowly in the refrigerator or in cold water or quickly in the microwave, following the manufacturer's directions. A turkey weighing 8 to 12 pounds will thaw in about 2 days in the refrigerator. A turkey weighing 20 to 24 pounds will thaw in about 5 days in the refrigerator. A whole turkey can be safely thawed in cold water. Leave the turkey in its original wrap, free from tears or holes. Place in cold water, allowing 30 minutes per pound for thawing, and change the water often.
• Remove the package of giblets (gizzard, heart and neck), if present, from the neck cavity of the turkey, and discard. Rinse the cavity, or inside of the turkey, with cool water; pat dry with paper towels. Rub the cavity of turkey lightly with salt if desired, but do not salt the cavity if you will be stuffing the turkey.
• Stuff the turkey just before roasting--not ahead of time. Fill the wishbone area (the neck) with stuffing first. Fasten the neck skin to the back of the turkey with a skewer. Fold the wings across the back so the tips are touching. Fill the body cavity lightly with stuffing; do not pack the stuffing because it will expand during roasting. Tuck the drumsticks under the band of skin at the tail, or tie or skewer the drumsticks to the tail.
• Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush with melted butter or margarine. It is not necessary to add water or to cover the turkey. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of thigh and does not touch bone. Follow Timetable for approximate roasting time. Place a tent of aluminum foil loosely over the turkey when it begins to turn golden. When two-thirds done, cut the band or remove the skewer holding the drumsticks; this will allow the interior part of the thighs to cook through.
• Roast until the thermometer reads 165°F (for a whole turkey) and drumsticks move easily when lifted or twisted. Thermometer inserted in center of stuffing should read165°F. When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and let it stand for 15 minutes for easiest carving. Keep turkey covered with aluminum foil so it will stay warm.

ROAST TURKEY - COMPLETE DINNER

Steps:

• DIRECTIONS FOR TURKEY:.
• NOTE: Even though you may have purchased a Butterball or a butter basted bird, you should still follow these directions, as they inject very little butter into the bird, just so that they can legally get away with saying that it is butter basted. Trust this recipe of mine, and I guarantee that you and your guests will have the best and juiciest turkey ever. The cook time and the amounts of ingredients will vary, depending on the size of the bird.
• Remove giblets from both cavities at both ends and set aside. Rinse the bird inside and out and pat dry with paper towel. Place a rack into a large roasting pan, and then place the turkey onto the rack with the breast and legs up.
• Place your hand between the skin and the flesh from the rear of the turkey and slide a palm full of the butter all the way up to the front of the bird, so that the entire bird has butter between the skin and the flesh.
• Then place a glob of butter into the palm of your hand and generously rub the entire outside of the turkey with the butter.
• Generously sprinkle the entire bird with salt, freshly ground black pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic powder, tarragon, parsley flakes, thyme, basil and paprika. Pour about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of chicken broth in the bottom of the roasting pan, being careful not to wash any of the seasonings off the turkey. Completely tent the turkey with aluminum foil and place into a preheated 325°F oven for about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the foil tent and wrap foil around the legs and wings. Baste the turkey and return it to the oven for the remainder of the cooking time, which will be when the interior temperature of the bird reaches 180 degrees, or until the juices run clear and not red when you puncture the bird between the thigh and the breast. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the turkey. NOTE: I always cook my turkey unstuffed. I place my stuffing into baking dishes to bake.
• DIRECTIONS FOR BREAD STUFFING:.
• Place 2 Tablespoons butter into a hot skillet. When the butter is melted, add the small dices of celery, lightly sprinkle with salt, and sauté until the celery pieces are tender.
• Transfer the celery with the pan juices to a large pot or a very large mixing bowl. Add the turkey or chicken stuffing. Tear the white bread into small, but not too small, pieces and add the bread to the mix. Add the 4 eggs. Season to taste with the herbs. Add a little water if necessary, but be careful not to make it too mushy, otherwise you will need to add more torn up white bread. Mix it well.
• Preheat oven to 325°F Spray baking dishes with Pam or a non-stick spray, and fill the baking dishes with the stuffing mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 to 45 minutes.
• DIRECTIONS FOR CANDIED YAMS OR SWEET POTATOES:.
• The other way is to place all of the ingredients into a large pot and cook the potatoes on top of the stove over medium heat and stirring every so often until potatoes are soft. Also, do not be afraid of adding more brown sugar and/or orange juice if needed.
• DIRECTIONS FOR CRANBERRY SAUCE SUPREME:.
• In a large bowl, place the whole cranberry sauce and mix it well, so that there are no large jelled sections. Drain the blackberries and add them to the bowl. Add 1 cup of raisins. Mix well and it is ready to serve.
• DIRECTIONS FOR GIBLET GRAVY:.
• In a large skillet, pour in the chicken livers with their juice. Sauté the livers, turning them, until they are done. Allow to slightly cool, and cut the livers into small, but not too small, pieces.
• Place the gravy into a large pot. Add the cut up chicken livers. Heat, stirring every so often. Add about 1 cup of the turkey drippings.
• NOTE: You can also serve mashed potatoes and rolls if desired.

PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.
• Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.
• Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
• Slice the turkey and serve.