Moms Classic Roast Turkey By Freda Food

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Let the turkey sit at room temperature, 30 minutes. Position an oven rack in the lowest position (remove the other racks); preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and set aside for the gravy. Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels and rub inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the onion, carrot, celery, and sage and thyme sprigs. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Put the turkey on a rack set in a large roasting pan and tuck the wings under the body.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat; whisk in the paprika and chopped sage and thyme. Let the paprika butter cool slightly, then brush all over the turkey. Transfer to the oven and roast 1 hour. Meanwhile, make Classic Gravy.
• After the turkey has roasted 1 hour, baste with the drippings. Continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 2 more hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving; reserve the drippings for the gravy.
• Prepare the stock: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the turkey neck and giblets; cook, turning, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme and bay leaves; stir to coat. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth, reduce the heat to low and simmer about 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup; reserve the saucepan. You should have 7 cups stock-if you're short, add more broth.
• Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in the reserved saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the 7 cups stock; bring to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside until the turkey is done.
• Pour the turkey pan drippings into a fat separator and let stand until the fat rises to the top. Discard the fat (or drizzle on your stuffing). Whisk the defatted drippings into the gravy; season with salt and pepper. Reheat before serving.

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. Place on a wire rack fitted into a rimmed baking sheet and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. This will ensure even cooking. Pat completely dry with paper towels, including inside the cavity. Position oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 F, preferably convection.
• Prepare turkey for roasting: With the turkey lying breast side up, twist and tuck the wing tips underneath the turkey. Cross the legs, then tie together with kitchen twine. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil, and rub to coat the skin evenly. Season generously with salt and pepper, using your hands to make sure the sides are seasoned. Transfer turkey, breast side up, onto a rack set in a large roasting pan. Roast in the oven, 30 minutes.
• Remove turkey from the oven, opening and closing the door as quickly as possible to keep the heat in. Reduce temperature to 325 F. Brush turkey all over with melted butter, then place back into the oven for 30 minutes. Use a baster to baste the turkey with pan drippings every 30 minutes until the skin is golden brown, for a total roasting time of 2½-3 hours, or potentially longer depending on the size of the turkey. When juices accumulate in the cavity, tilt to drain juices into the pan for even cooking and easier basting. Begin taking the turkey's temperature about 1 hour before you expect it to be finished. Turkey is done when a digital thermometer registers 165 F at the thickest part of the breast (without touching the bone) and 175 F at the thigh.
• When turkey is finished roasting, use clean kitchen towels to transfer it to a carving board. Cover loosely with foil and let rest 30 minutes before carving to allow the juices to redistribute through the turkey. (See the "How to Carve a Turkey" lesson in the "Mastering Turkey & Gravy" class for detailed carving instructions.)

MOM'S ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Make sure turkey is thawed. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse inside of turkey, pat inside and outside dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside of turkey with a little lemon pepper.
• Prepare turkey dressing, spoon into turkey cavities. (If do not use stuffing inside turkey, place large pieces of onion inside.). Tuck ends of drumsticks under band of skin across tail or wire or nylon leg clamp. Twist wing tips under back.
• Brush the whole turkey with oil/butter. Season the whole turkey with seasoning salt and lemon pepper lightly.
• Place the turkey breast side down; on a rack in a roasting pan. (I know! Everyone bakes them breast side up but that makes the breast dry! Cooking it breast side down lets the yummy juices flow into the breast.).
• If using a meat thermometer, insert it into the center of inside thigh muscle. The thermometer should not touch bone. Cover turkey loosely with foil.
• Roast turkey for 2 1/4 hours. (Adjust baking time according to turkey size).
• Remove foil; cut band or string between drumsticks so thighs cook evenly. Continue to cook until meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer registers 180 degrees F. Juices should run clear and drumsticks should move easily in sockets.
• Remove turkey from oven. Cover loosely with foil; let stand for 20 minutes before carving.

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.

MOM'S PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Defrost turkey, if necessary.
• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Open turkey package, (try this in a clean sink) removing turkey giblets and other interior cavity elements along with thermometer. Unless you want to make gravy or cook these elements, throw them away, noting the exact poundage of the bird (cut off the label with this on it if necessary and reserve for time calculations later). Leave the skin on the turkey for roasting.
• Wash (rinse) turkey inside and out, making sure that any stray feathers are removed.
• Place turkey breast-side down in a foil-lined rectangular cake pan (depending upon size of bird, use a 9x13 pan) or foil-lined roasting pan. Also take into consideration that some juices and fat will melt during roasting time and may fill up the pan a bit around the turkey unless put on a roasting rack in the pan. (No one likes to clean up turkey mess, but if you're out of foil, spray pan with cooking spray to have easier cleanup later. I prefer to use a disposable foil pan so that I can discard entire mess after Thanksgiving is over.).
• Place turkey with pan into oven, about in the middle (enough space needed for bird to fit), and not so close to heating element that anything burns.
• Do not change oven temperature. Cook for fifteen minutes per pound. (Example: 20.2 pound bird would be: 20.2x15=303 minutes. 303/60=5.05, so you would need to cook the bird for five hours, and one to three minutes.).
• Take out of oven, and let rest for at least 15-30 minutes. The juices will need to settle back into the bird. If you cut it immediately, you will have a dry bird. Basting is only required when you overcook the meat (aka meat thermometer), or if you want a particular flavor to the turkey (basting with stock, juice of some sort, butter mixture, BBQ sauce, etc.) Turkey, when done well, may be nice with seasonings, but has a great flavor on its own. If you left in the meat thermometer, you should not see it pop out. The bird is still safe to eat and YUMMY!

MOM'S HOLIDAY TURKEY

Steps:

• To make the marinade for the turkey: Place the onion, garlic, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a food processor and puree until completely blended. Put the turkey in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Rub the outside of the turkey all over with the mustard mixture. Cover the turkey with plastic wrap to keep in the moisture. Refrigerate the turkey overnight or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap and place in a roasting pan. Tuck the turkey wings beneath the breast and tie the base of the legs together with butcher's twine. Using a pastry brush or bulb baster, baste the turkey with some of the malt. Transfer the turkey to the oven and roast, uncovered, for 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the malt. If the turkey breast starts to look like it's getting too dark, cover it with aluminum foil.
• Cook until the juices run clear and the turkey's internal temperature is 160 degrees F in the breast and the leg registers 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
• Remove the turkey from the oven and cover it loosely with foil. Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving and serving with the stuffing and cranberry passion fruit sauce on the side.

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.

MOM'S HOLIDAY TURKEY AND DRESSING

Steps:

• Make your dressing the day before your meal.
• Remove heart, gizzards, liver and neck from thawed turkey and place in pan with enough water to keep covered while boiling; skim off foam.
• Add salt, pepper, onion, parsley flakes and bay leaf.
• Cook about 3 hours or until tender; remove from heat; save broth for later.
• Depending on size of turkey, grind the celery, onions, heart, gizzards, liver and meat from neck.
• In 10 inch fry pan, fry ground up mixture in 1/4 lb. oleo or butter until water evaporates; cool.
• In a large roaster, using your hands, combine stuffing cubes and eggs with fried mixture; moisten with broth. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• To prepare turkey, stuff both cavities with the dressing and close up.
• Melt oleo or butter; pour over turkey.
• Cover wings and legs with foil.
• Pour remainder of broth on turkey.
• If needed, add water so you have 2 inches of liquid in roaster.
• Roast at 375 degrees for 3/4 hour uncovered.
• Turn oven down to 325 degrees; cover and continue cooking until legs begin to pull away from turkey.
• Baste occasionally.
• From a distance, make sure the little ones get to see that bird coming out of the oven to be basted. It's a real treat for them.
• When done, remove stuffing to serving dish.
• Good luck removing turkey from roaster. Carve, serve, and give thanks.

MARTHA'S PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Rinse turkey with cool water, and dry with paper towels. Let stand for hours at room temperature.
• Place rack on lowest level in oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut it into a 17-inch, four-layer square. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter and wine; let soak.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a heavy metal roasting pan. If the turkey comes with a pop-up timer, remove it; an instant-read thermometer is a much more accurate indication of doneness. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Fill large cavity and neck cavity loosely with as much stuffing as they hold comfortably; do not pack tightly. (Cook remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.) Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string (a bow will be easy to untie later). Fold neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey with the softened butter, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.
• Lift cheesecloth out of liquid, and squeeze it slightly, leaving it very damp. Spread it evenly over the breast and about halfway down the sides of the turkey; it can cover some of the leg area. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and exposed parts of turkey with butter and wine. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. and continue to cook for 2 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices; if the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy.
• After this third hour of cooking, carefully remove and discard cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so that the breast is facing the back of the oven. Baste turkey with pan juices. If there are not enough juices, continue to use butter and wine. The skin gets fragile as it browns, so baste carefully. Cook 1 more hour, basting after 30 minutes.
• After this fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The temperature should reach 180 degrees.(stuffing should be between 140 degrees.and 160 degrees. and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If legs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20 to 30 minutes.
• When fully cooked, transfer turkey to a serving platter, and let rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Pour all the pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Let stand until grease rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim it off. Meanwhile, place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup dry red or white wine, or water, to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan until liquid boils and all the crisp bits are unstuck from pan. Add giblet stock to pan. Stir well, and bring back to a boil. Cook until liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the defatted pan juices, and cook over medium-high heat 10 minutes more. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of gravy. Season to taste, strain into a warm gravy boat, and serve with turkey.

MOM & DAD'S ROASTED TURKEY WITH SAVORY APPLE-WALNUT DRESSING

Steps:

• STEPS TO PREPARE THE TURKEY FOR ROASTING:.
• Arrange the racks in the oven so that the turkey will fit on the middle shelf. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Use a tablespoon of vegetable oil to lightly grease the bottom of the roasting pan, fit a roasting rack inside the pan. DO NOT STUFF THE TURKEY UNTIL JUST BEFORE ROASTING.
• When ready to stuff and roast the turkey, remove the neck, giblets, heart and livers; set aside for the stuffing. Rinse the outside and cavities of the bird under cold, running water. Place the turkey on several layers of paper towels to drain. Using additional paper towels, pat the outside and cavities dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• STEPS TO PREPARE THE STUFFING:.
• Carefully wash the giblets, heart, livers and neck previously set aside; drain and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over a medium flame; simmer for about 1 hour - uncovered. Strain the stock into a container for use with the stuffing. Place giblets, heart and livers in a medium bowl (BOWL #1). Remove meat from neck and add to the bowl.
• In a medium saute' pan, brown the sausage roll over a medium flame. Drain the meat and add to BOWL #1. Reserve the sausage drippings.
• Using the same saute' pan to brown the sausage roll, saute' the onion over a medium-high flame with the reserved sausage drippings. Cook until soft (not browned), about 5 to 8 minutes; add to BOWL #1.
• Extract about 1/3 cup of the reserved turkey stock; set aside. In the remaining reserved turkey stock, soak the bread cubes. Squeeze the excess liquid from the bread and put into a large mixing bowl (BOWL #2).
• Toast the walnuts by heating them in a non-stick skillet over a medium-high flame for 2 to 3 minutes; swirling the skillet until they are slightly browned (not burned). Let cool and then coarsely chop. Add walnuts to BOWL #2.
• Beat egg; add to BOWL #2 along with the apple, parsley, and poultry seasoning.
• In a meat grinder or food processor, alternate between BOWL #1 and BOWL #2 to grind up mixtures - START WITH THE SAUSAGE MIXTURE FIRST, BOWL #1. Transfer the ground-up mixture (dressing) to an extra-large mixing bowl (BOWL #3). As desired, moisten the dressing with the turkey stock set aside earlier - Add a tablespoon at a time until you've reached desired moistness. (COOK'S NOTE: The dressing should be moist, not overly dry, since heat destroys bacteria more rapidly in a moist environment.) Salt and pepper the dressing, to taste.
• STEPS FOR STUFFING THE TURKEY:.
• First, stand the bird on its tail end in an extra-large mixing bowl. Using a tablespoon, loosely stuff the neck cavity. Put the neck skin over the dressing and fasten it to the body with a poultry pin.
• Next, turn the bird around (neck in the bowl); stuff the body cavity loosely with dressing. When stuffing the bird, press down but be very careful not to over stuff. Press bread slice into the cavity at the wide opening to keep the dressing inside so that it will not fall out while the turkey roasts. If desired, you may also cook the stuffing outside the bird in a casserole dish.
• Finally, place the stuffed bird breast side up on a piece of waxed paper. Pull the legs to its body and tie the ends together with kitchen twine. (COOK'S NOTE: Some frozen turkeys are packed with a metal clamp to secure the legs, in which case it is not necessary to tie the legs with twine.) Now, fold the wings under the bird. YOUR STUFFED TURKEY MUST BE COOKED IMMEDIATELY.
• TO ROAST THE STUFFED TURKEY:.
• Transfer the stuffed bird to the prepared roasting pan, BREAST SIDE UP. Brush it generously with vegetable oil; sprinkle (to taste) with your choices of herbs, spices, salt and pepper.
• Insert a meat thermometer into an inner thigh area near the breast. (THERMOMETER'S TIP SHOULD NOT TOUCH THE BONE.) Cover loosely with heavy aluminum foil, leaving space between the bird and the foil. Place the roasting pan in the preheated oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes per pound, depending on the freshness of the bird. (COOK'S NOTE: Fresh turkeys tend to cook much faster than those that have been frozen.).
• Baste the bird every hour or so with the liquids that have accumulated on the bottom of the roasting pan. About 20 minutes before the cooking time is up,uncover the bird and allow it to brown.
• Once the meat thermometer reaches 180°F, and the juices run clear, remove the bird from the oven and place on a serving platter or a carving board; cover loosely with aluminum foil and let it stand about 10 minutes before carving. Remove the stuffing from the bird and place in a warmed serving bowl.
• Carve your perfectly roasted turkey and serve with all the trimmings!
• COOK'S NOTE: A FROZEN TURKEY must be defrosted in the refrigerator. This can take several days depending on the size of the bird. Also, never try to defrost a turkey directly on the kitchen counter or the kitchen sink, as this can result in the growth of harmful bacteria.
• COOK'S NOTE: TO STORE LEFTOVERS, cut the turkey into small pieces. Refrigerate the turkey and dressing separately in shallow containers within 2 hours of cooking. Use the leftover turkey and stuffing within 3 to 4 days or freeze these foods. Reheat thoroughly to a temperature of 165°F or until hot and steaming.

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the onion and a large sprig of bay in the cavity between the legs. Now pack half the stuffing into the neck end, pushing it towards the breast. Secure the neck skin in position with skewers and tie the turkey legs together at the top of the drumsticks to give a neat shape.
• Weigh the turkey and calculate cooking time at 20 mins per kilo, plus 90 mins. (You may need to use your bathroom scales.)
• Put a large sheet of extra-wide foil in a large roasting tin, then put the turkey on top. Smear the breast with the butter, grate over half the nutmeg and season well. Cover the breast with bacon, pour over the wine, then loosely bring up the foil and seal well to make a parcel.
• Roast in the oven, then 90 mins before the end of cooking, open the foil, discard the bacon, and drain off excess fat from the tin. Leaving the foil open, return the turkey to the oven to brown, basting with the juices several times. Then 30 mins before the end of cooking, place pigs-in-blankets and stuffing of your choice around the turkey, or cook in a separate lightly oiled tin.
• To test whether the turkey is cooked, push a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh - the juices should run clear. If they are pinkish, cook for 15 mins more, then test again.
• Transfer the turkey, stuffings and pigs-in-blankets to a platter, cover with foil, then a couple of tea towels and allow to rest for up to 30 mins before carving. This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat, ensuring that the turkey will be juicy. Garnish with sprigs of bay.