As the daughter of an avid home cook, and more recently as the daughter-in-law of another devoted home cook, I’ve never had the opportunity to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner.
The roasting of the turkey, the mashing of the potatoes and the saucing of the cranberries have always been done by mom, or grandma. I’d like to someday, but as of 2014, Turkey Day is not my territory. I might bring a side dish or an appetizer, but generally, my contribution to Thanksgiving is quite minimal — despite being an avid home cook myself.
This year, when my editor Sarah Walker Caron decided to make the full Thanksgiving dinner experience the focal point of our coverage of the holiday this season, I volunteered right away to tackle my first turkey.
I essentially adapted my much-used roasted chicken recipe to a turkey, with the notable addition of a lot more butter. It’s Thanksgiving. Like you’re counting calories.
First things first: buying the bird. I wanted to get a locally-raised turkey, but since I needed mine a full two weeks before T-Day, most birds weren’t ready. I ended up going with a 13-pound Hannaford turkey from the Shady Brook Farms brand, which I was able to get fresh, not frozen, for $26.
The day before I was due to cook the bird — about 12 hours before it’s set to go in oven — I dry brined it. Some people like to do a wet brine, where the bird is submerged in saltwater, but I think that’s messy and unnecessary. Rubbing the turkey inside and out with coarse kosher salt works just as well to tenderize it, and only takes five minutes. The process is so simple: I just pour salt into my hands and go to town, making sure every surface I can get to is covered in salt. If you think it’s too much salt, you’re using enough — and it’s not. It will not taste salty, I promise. Most of the remaining water in the turkey will drain out, taking that salt with it.
After the turkey sat in the fridge with its salt rub for 12 hours, it was ready for the rest of the prep. First, preheated the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Then I drained any remaining water from the bird after the brining process. I diced up two shallots and tossed them with a whole stick of chilled, cubed butter, and about a half cup of roughly chopped herbs. I like rosemary, thyme and sage, but you could use whatever herbs you enjoy.
I then took a small knife and made two little holes on either side of the breast, between the skin and the meat, using my fingers to loosen both sides until there were two pockets of space. Into those pockets went handfuls of the shallot-butter-herb mixture. I repeated making those little holes between skin and meat on the bottom of the chicken, and two smaller holes on each drumstick, until the shallot-butter-herb mixture was gone.
I took two more tablespoons of butter, melted it, brushed the entire outside of the turkey with it, and then liberally covered the rest of the surface with freshly ground black pepper and paprika. Finally, I stuffed the cavity with one diced shallot, a quarter cup of more of those freshly chopped herbs, and one quartered whole lemon. I put the whole turkey on a rack on a roasting pan, and it was time to roast.
I put the turkey in at 450 for 20 minutes, so that high heat would crisp up the skin. After 20 minutes, I turned it down to 350 and let it roast for 30 more minutes, at which point I took it out of the oven and slowly poured one cup of chicken stock over it, for added moisture and to make more drippings for gravy. At that point, I essentially roasted it for another two hours and 15 minutes, basting it every 30 minutes. In total, my 13 pound turkey took just over three hours to roast.
The result? Tender, moist meat. A nice, light lemon and herb flavor, which mixed really well with the shallots. Crispy skin — though not quite as crispy as I’d like, something I’ll work on next time. And there will be a next time. My maiden turkey voyage was a success.
Roasted Turkey with Shallots and Herbs
serves 8
13- to 14-pound turkey
kosher salt
3 shallots, diced and divided
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, plus 2 tbsp melted
¾ cup chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage, divided
ground black pepper
paprika
1 lemon, quartered
1 cup chicken stock
The day before:
Dry-brine the turkey — Rinse the turkey with cold water inside and out and pat dry. Rub all over with kosher salt — inside and outside the bird. Place in a rimmed baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 12 hours.
The day of:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Remove the turkey from the fridge and drain any water from the turkey cavity and pan.
Now, prepare your butter rub — Toss two diced shallots with 1 stick (½ cup) of chilled, cubed butter, and 1/2 cup of chopped herbs.
Using a small knife, make two little holes on either side of the breast, between the skin and the meat, using your fingers to loosen both sides until there were two pockets of space. Fill the pockets with the shallot-butter-herb mixture. Repeat, making those little holes between skin and meat on the bottom of the chicken, and two smaller holes on each drumstick, until the shallot-butter-herb mixture is all used.
Next, brush the outside of the turkey with two tablespoons of melted butter. Season the outside of the turkey liberally with freshly ground black pepper and paprika. Stuff the cavity with the remaining diced shallot, ¼ cup of chopped herbs and the quartered lemon. Place on a rack in a roasting pan.
Slide the turkey into the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 and let it roast for 30 more minutes. Remove from the oven and slowly poured one cup of chicken stock over it, for added moisture and to make more drippings for gravy. Slide back into the oven and roast for 2 to 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes, until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees (measure at the thickest part of the breast).
