Herb-roasted turkey

I really wanted to try two things for Thanksgiving this year … 1.) brining our turkey and 2.) apple cider gravy. Only one turned out, and thankfully it was the turkey! This was the moistest (is that a word? – asks the editor, haha) turkey I’ve ever eaten.

If you’ve never brined a turkey, I highly suggest trying it. I doubt we’ll be doing it any other way. For our 5 lb. turkey breast, we brined it for about 4 hours the morning of Thanksgiving. Then rinsed it off and lathered it up with some fresh herb butter and stuck it in the oven. An hour later, DONE! I highly suggest buying the fresh herbs … you can definitely taste the difference with fresh herbs. Plus, it makes the house smell awesome when you chop them!

 

all the fixin

 

 

Herb-Roasted turkey (I scaled this recipe down for our 5lb turkey breast)
adapted from this recipe from epicurious.com

Brining

• 8 quarts cold water
• 2 cups coarse kosher salt
• 8 large fresh or dried bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons whole allspice
• 1 16- to 17-pound turkey; giblets removed, neck reserved

To brine the turkey:
Line extra-large pot or bowl with two 13-gallon (or larger) plastic bags, 1 inside the other. Combine 1 quart water, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until salt dissolves. Remove from heat. Add 1 quart cold water and cool to lukewarm. Pour into plastic bags; mix in remaining 6 quarts water. Wrap turkey neck and refrigerate. Submerge turkey in brine to cover completely, gathering bags tightly to eliminate any air; tie bags closed. Refrigerate turkey in brine in pot at least 18 hours and up to 20 hours.

Line large roasting pan with 4 layers of paper towels. Remove turkey from brine and drain well; discard brine. Place turkey in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Herb butter (I used/made the full recipe of the herb butter)

• 3 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme (I used dry since I couldn’t find any fresh in stores)
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh sage
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

For herb butter:
Mix parsley, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, and nutmeg in small bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup herb mixture to small bowl; mix in 1/2 cup butter. Save rest of herb mix to add to gravy.

Roasting

• 2 large Granny Smith apples, quartered, cored (I omitted)
• 2 large onions, quartered
• Carrots, celery cut in large pieces
• 1 cup apple cider

To roast the turkey:
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Remove turkey from roasting pan; drain any accumulated juices from main cavity. Discard paper towels from roasting pan. Melt herb butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Brush bottom of roasting pan with some of herb butter. Return turkey to prepared pan. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Place some apple quarters and onion quarters in main cavity. Brush remaining herb butter over turkey; sprinkle with pepper. Scatter remaining apples and onions (and carrots & celery) around turkey in pan. Add reserved turkey neck to pan.

Roast turkey 1 hour. Baste with 1/2 cup apple cider. Roast turkey 30 minutes. Baste with remaining 1/2 cup cider. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting turkey every 30 minutes with pan juices and covering breast loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 2 hours longer (3 1/2 hours total). Transfer turkey to platter; let stand at least 30 minutes before carving (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).

Discard apples, onions, and turkey neck from pan. Pour pan juices into large glass measuring cup; spoon off fat from surface. Use degreased juices to make gravy.