Turkey is the food for the holiday season. It reminds us of warm family gatherings and all the fun they involve. With so much focus on it, it is important for turkey to be cooked deliciously and to perfection. It is, after all. the centrepiece of the Thanksgiving feast. Do not worry if you are not an expert when it comes to cooking a turkey. Burning it or not doing proper marination and seasoning so the flavour comes out bland are common problems people face. We have enlisted some super simple recipes for turkey that you can follow and get a juicy and delicious turkey at your table that everyone will love.
Easy and Simple Recipes for Turkey
Whole Turkey Recipe
Get a whole turkey weighing about twelve to twenty pounds. Thaw it out if it is frozen by placing it in the fridge for a day or two. When you are ready to roast it, take it out from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. If the turkey setting time is over, get it cleaned out by removing the giblets and the neck. Use tissues or paper towels to dry the turkey. After that, add salt and pepper to the cavity and season it well. Fill the cavity with some lemon, apple, onions and herbs including thyme, rosemary and sage.
In a separate bowl, combine one cup of unsalted softened butter, a teaspoon of salt and pepper, about six to eight minced cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of chopped thyme and rosemary. Mix it well. Use a brush to put the mixture underneath the breast pieces. Use the remaining mixture to season the outside of the whole turkey.
Place the turkey on the roasting pan inside the oven. Make sure the pan has been set up in the centre of the oven so the turkey can cook evenly. Cook it for thirteen to fifteen minutes. Check it when half the time is over to see how much is done. If the skin has cooked to a golden-brown colour, cover it in tinfoil. This will cook the inside of the turkey as well.
Take the turkey out and let it rest for at least half an hour. This whole turkey recipe will result in a perfectly cooked turkey that is full of flavour.
Turkey Breast Recipe
You can also move away from the standard dish of Thanksgiving and give something new a chance. This is especially good for when you do not have a whole lot of people gathering up and cooking a whole turkey just does not seem right. Here is a turkey breast recipe you can make.
Take three to seven pounds of turkey breast. Defrost it using the same techniques mentioned in cooking a whole turkey. Use paper towels to dry it before brushing oil or butter over all the pieces. Next, season it with salt and pepper. Make sure the breast pieces have skin on and the seasoning is done under the skin, too, where possible.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and then bring it down to 350 before placing the turkey in it. Cook it for at least an hour with regular checking every fifteen minutes. When it is cooked, take it out and let it rest at room temperature. Cut it into your desired slices and serve while hot.
Ground Turkey and Potato Recipe
Other delicious and simple recipes for turkey involve using turkey as a ground ingredient in rice, pasta, spaghetti and so on. In this section, we will teach you a similar recipe which has ground turkey and potatoes.
Get a skillet and add one pound of ground turkey in it. Stir and cook it until it has browned. Then, add in salt and pepper to taste. Also, mix in half a teaspoon of chili powder, oregano and garlic powder. Once everything is properly stirred together, take it out and set it aside.
In the same skillet, add oil and wait for it to get hot before adding in about four cups of diced potatoes. Cook it until the potatoes have browned from the sides. Mix in the other ground turkey mixture along with eight ounces of tomato sauce, some water and half a teaspoon of onion powder, minced garlic, oregano, parsley and basil. Also, include salt and pepper to taste.
Cook it for five minutes until the potatoes are cooked and tender. You can best serve this with rice or roasted vegetables while it is hot.
Leftover Turkey Sandwich
If you have watched FRIENDS, you would know that there is as much excitement about leftover turkey sandwiches as there is about Thanksgiving and its feast. You can take these sandwiches to work the next day and have a taste of the holiday season still running through you.
In a bowl, add a quarter onion and a pinch of salt and let it sit for a few minutes so the onions can soften. Next, add in shredded cabbage, a tablespoon of vinegar and olive oil.
In a separate bowl, make the sauce by combining a tablespoon of dill pickles and mayonnaise and a teaspoon of mustard. Get two slices of bread and spread this mixture on each of them. Place the turkey on one slide and sprinkle a teaspoon of hot honey on it. Finally, put the salad and place the other bread slice on top.
Conclusion
If you are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner at your place, chances are that you are under immense pressure to get the dish of the night cooked up to everyone’s expectations. It does seem scary for first-timers to have to handle such a tedious task all by themselves.
Well, let us just end those fears right away. We have enlisted some great recipes for turkey. If you follow the instructions properly, no one can stop you from being the centre of praise at the table. Remember that the key is to get the timing perfect: we do not want to dry it out by overcooking it nor serve undercooked meat at dinner.
