Cajun Butter Spatchcock Turkey Food

CAJUN BUTTER SPATCHCOCKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Fit an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack.
• To spatchcock the turkey, use a large chef's knife or kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone. Remove the backbone and reserve for stock if desired. Place the turkey breast-side up on a cutting board and use your hands to press the center to break the breastbone and flatten the bird. Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin from the breast and the legs, then place the turkey on the prepared baking sheet.
• To make the Cajun butter, mix together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and black pepper in a medium bowl. Place the butter in another medium bowl and mix in the spice mixture until well combined. Transfer a quarter of the Cajun butter to a small microwave-safe bowl and set aside.
• Rub the turkey with the remaining room temperature Cajun butter under the skin and on top of the skin.
• Roast the turkey until the skin begins to brown, about 35 minutes.
• Microwave the reserved Cajun butter until melted, about 10 seconds. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, brush the melted Cajun butter over the crispy skin and roast until golden, about 20 minutes. Baste the turkey with the pan drippings and roast, basting once more, until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.
• Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest at least 15 minutes. Pour the juices from the baking sheet into a small serving bowl and reserve for drizzling over the bird. Slice the turkey breasts and transfer to a serving platter. Remove the wings, thighs and legs and transfer to the platter. Slice the 1/2 lemon into rounds. Garnish the turkey with the lemon rounds and herb sprigs if desired.

SPATCHCOCKED TURKEY WITH SAGE BUTTER AND GRAVY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove and reserve the heart and giblets from the turkey cavity; remove and discard the liver. Flip the turkey upside down so the breast is on your cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the breast meat while keeping it attached. (You want to create a pocket for the sage butter without tearing the skin.)
• Push the Sage Butter under the skin of the turkey, being careful not to puncture it. Rub the skin with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• For the gravy: Put the bay leaves, garlic, apples, celery, carrots, onions, cinnamon stick and thyme in a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt. Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and 1 cup of the apple cider, as well as the heart, giblets and backbone of the turkey.
• Roast the turkey: Place a roasting rack on top of the vegetables and set the turkey on the rack. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes. Tent the turkey with foil and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the leg (without touching bone) registers 175 degrees F. Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, finish the gravy: Strain all the veggies over a bowl; discard the veggies. Skim the fat from the pan juices and add it to the roasting pan; this is the fat for the roux.
• Set the roasting pan over 2 burners over low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook until the mixture looks like wet sand, 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1 cup apple cider and 2 cups chicken stock, as well as the strained pan juices from the bowl. Cook until the mixture has thickened and reached a gravy consistency. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper as needed. Pour into a serving pitcher or bowl and serve with the turkey.
• Mix the butter with the sage and some salt and pepper until well blended. Set aside.

SPATCHCOCK'D ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Four days before cooking, make the rub mixture and season the turkey: Coarsely grind the peppercorns and allspice berries by pulsing 3 to 4 times in a blade-style coffee/spice grinder. Add the dried thyme and pulse 3 more times. Combine the salt, rubbed sage and ground spices in a small bowl and set aside.
• Position the turkey, breast-side down with the tail facing you, on a silicone mat or other stable surface set inside a large sheet pan. Use heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut up one side of the backbone. Turn the bird and cut back down the other side of the spine. Reserve the backbone for stock or gravy. Discard any fat pockets or excess skin found inside the bird. Flip breast-side up and use the heel of your hands to press down on both breasts, until you hear a cracking sound and the bird flattens.
• Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack (I use a standard cooling or cake rack) set inside a sheet pan, and turn the wings backwards, tucking the tips under the forewings. Flip the turkey breast-side down and season with half of the rub mixture. Then flip the bird back breast-side up and season with the remaining mixture.
• Store, uncovered, on the lowest level of your refrigerator for 4 days.
• When ready to cook, allow the turkey to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Place one oven rack in the center of the oven and a second one just below it. Place an empty roasting pan or large rimmed sheet pan on the lower rack. Crank the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the turkey, still on the cooling rack, directly on the center oven rack. Add a cup of water to the pan below to prevent any drippings from smoking. Roast for 30 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue to roast the bird until a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 degrees F, an additional 40 to 50 minutes.
• Remove the turkey and its rack and rest for 15 minutes before carving. Carryover heat will take the final temperature close to 165 degrees.