Thursday, January 13, 2011

Spiced Rubbed Turkey on a Bed of Roasted Veggies


I know many people are probably "turkey'd- out" now that Thanksgiving is over.  This is not the case for me.  I think turkey is super under-rated.  I love turkey and how versatile it is.  I love it even more when it goes on sale after the holidays.  The last time I went grocery shopping they were selling the birds at .39 per lb.  Who can beat that?  So I bought three of them and stuck them in my chest freezer.  This way, as the year progresses, I can try out Turkey recipes for Thanksgiving in advance to make sure I have a sure-fire recipe.  Not that they're anything wrong with my usual recipe, but I thought after three years of the same turkey it's time for a change- what a rebel huh? lol.   This was my first attempt at making a different turkey.  I made it on Saturday when the family was over for dinner and the verdict: it was really flavorful, juicy and some liked this version better than the standard recipe I've been using.  So without further ado, here's the recipe

Ingredients:
1 12 lb. turkey
1 stick butter
8 cloves garlic
1 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup paprika
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tbsp. honey

First, defrost your turkey according to your package instructions.  If you'd like to brine it, you'll have to do that the day before as this marinade is best when coating the turkey overnight.  Wash the turkey well, removing all the innards.  Pat that baby dry and set it aside on a cutting board.   Right before you're ready to roast the turkey, you'll want to lay the bed of  vegetables below the bird.  I chopped up some carrots, celery, peppers, potatoes, onions and garlic and just tossed them with a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt.  But the evening before, just place the bird in a baking dish big enough to hold the bird overnight.  Grate the garlic and transfer it into a mixing bowl along with lemon juice.  Next melt the butter and transfer to the mixing bowl, whisking vigorously.   Add in the salt, thyme, honey and paprika and blend well, forming a thick paste.  Using a silicone brush, begin brushing the mixture over the bird  evenly. Make sure to reserve half of the glaze for the next day.  The beauty of this marinade is that it's thick so it coats the bird really well.   As a side note, this marinade would work on just about any protein.  Cover with the turkey with foil, and let it sit in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.   Right before roasting, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Chop up the veggies and make a nice little bed for the turkey in it's roasting pan.  Transfer the bird to this pan along with any juices that may have accumulated over night.  Use about half of the marinade that was left over from the previous night and add a thicker layer all over the turkey.  Use a chopped onion, some sprigs of thyme or rosemary to fill the cavity of the bird.   Cover gently with foil and bake the bird for about 1/2 half hours before removing to baste.  When basting, use your silicone brush to add on another layer of the marinade, but this time put the turkey back in the oven without the foil.  Continue to bake until you reach an internal temperature of  165 degrees; this should take about another hour.

Let the turkey rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

1 comment:

Jenna said...

Mmm, I love the colorful veggies underneath! I bet those are delicious after being on the receiving end of the turkey drippings during the cooking process.


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