Salt Roasted Turkey With Lemon And Oregano Food

LEMON AND HERB ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Twenty-four hours before cooking your turkey, liberally season the inside and outside of the bird with salt and pepper. Using a mini chopper or mortar and pestle, grind the oregano, parsley, tarragon, sumac, thyme, shallots and lemon zest together with some salt and pepper; the salt will help draw the moisture and flavor from the mixture. Add the olive oil to form a paste. Spread the herb mixture all around the inside and outside of the turkey. Refrigerate the turkey, uncovered to dry the skin, for 24 hours.
• For the roasting: Remove the turkey from the fridge 90 minutes before roasting and allow it to come to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the turkey again with salt and pepper. Put the parsley and thyme sprigs in the cavity with the lemon and shallot halves.
• Put the carrots, celery and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. Add a cup of water or stock to the bottom of the pan. Add the turkey to the rack and roast, adding a little more water or stock to the pan if necessary to prevent the drippings from burning, for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to roast, basting the turkey with the pan drippings every 30 minutes, until the thickest part of the leg registers an internal temperature of 155 degrees F, another 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Allow the bird to rest, tented with foil, for at least 1 hour before carving. The temperature will rise to about 165 degrees F during resting.
• Pour the pan drippings into a saucepan, set the pan over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by one-half, about 10 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Pour the reduced turkey drippings over the carved turkey just before serving.

STUFFED TURKEY WITH LEMON, OREGANO, AND RED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in lowest position.
• Stir together all butter ingredients with 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Rinse turkey inside and out, then pat dry. Put turkey on rack in roasting pan. Sprinkle turkey cavities with 1/2 teaspoon salt (total).
• Starting at large cavity, gently slide your fingers between skin and flesh of breast and legs to loosen skin, being careful not to tear skin. Using a tablespoon measure, slide 2 tablespoons butter under skin of each breast half and 1 tablespoon on each drumstick (6 tablespoons total), pushing butter out of spoon with a finger on outside of skin.
• Melt remaining lemon butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Toss onion wedges with 2 tablespoons melted lemon butter.
• Spoon stuffing into large cavity of turkey. Fold neck skin under body, then tie drumsticks together with kitchen string and tuck wings under body. Brush turkey all over with half of remaining melted lemon butter and sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast until skin is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Rotate pan 180 degrees. Brush remaining melted lemon butter over turkey and roast 30 minutes more. Baste turkey and scatter onion wedges around it, then roast, basting turkey and rotating turkey 180 degrees every 30 minutes (if pan becomes completely dry, add 1/2 cup water; if skin becomes too dark, loosely cover turkey with foil) until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thighs (test both; close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F and stuffing registers at least 165°F, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours more (total roasting time: 3 to 3 1/2 hours). Transfer turkey and onions to a platter, reserving juices in pan. Let turkey stand, uncovered, 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 175°F).
• Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add 1 cup turkey stock and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into 2-quart measuring cup and skim off and reserve fat. (If using a fat separator, strain pan juices through sieve into separator and let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully pour pan juices from separator into measuring cup, reserving fat.)
• Stir together flour and 6 tablespoons reserved fat (if you don't have enough fat, add butter) in a heavy medium saucepan, then cook roux over medium heat, whisking, until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add pan juices and remaining 3 cups stock in a fast stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then bring to a boil, whisking. Stir in any turkey juices from platter and briskly simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy is thickened to desired consistency, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

HONEY,LEMON PEPPER GARLIC ROASTED TURKEY WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Clean and dry the chicken. Place turkey in large bowl.
• Starting at neck cavity, carefully start cutting the turkey skin, so that it remains on turkey,but is easy to pull back, using your fingers to pull back skin.Do not pull skin off of turkey,just pull skin back.
• Pour broth over turkey, under skin.
• Insert 2 pieces of garlic, and 2 sprigs of rosemary under breast skin,rub garlic under skin of turkey,then leave garlic, and rosemary under skin.Rub garlic under the skin of wing and drumstick sections to,let garlic rest under skin in the center of the breast.
• Pull back skin from wings and drumsticks. Rub oregano, sage and tarragon, under breast drumstick and wing skin.Pull skin back so that turkey is covered with it's original skin.
• Season turkey skin with lemon pepper,salt, and poultry seasoning. Place remaining garlic,onion,celery, and bay leaf in the body cavity of turkey. cover turkey and refrigerate for 1- 2 hours.
• In a separate bowl combine honey and lemon juice. Rub mixture into skin of turkey,making sure to coat breast,wings, and drumsticks.
• Remove turkey from bowl with broth,and place in slow cooker on low,or preheat oven to 250 degrees and place turkey in a ovensafe pan. Cook turkey for 4- 6 hours or until juices run clear, when turkey is pierced with knife, and turkey is not pinkish in inside.
• Remove turkey from pan,leaving at least 1 tablespoon of reserved pan drippings.
• In a small pan or skillet brown 1 tablespoon flour.Remove flour from pan,and mix with water.Mix browned flour water mixture with 1 tablespoon of pan drippings,mix well and heat gravy on low for 5 minutes. Stir in salt pepper, Accent, and GravyMaster. Remove from heat, and pour over sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, and/or rice. serve while hot, enjoy.