I have used this method of roasting turkey for many years. I love that I don’t need to brine the turkey, and it still turns out juicy and delicious! Truffle Butter might sound a bit pretentious, but I’ve found it at my local Costco for a reasonable price. There’s an added tip– and it works! That is, you don’t need to keep basting your turkey. That way, you’ll have golden and crispy skin. I trust Ina Garten!
I’ve cooked and hosted Thanksgiving, for my family, for at least thirty years. I’ve evolved from buying vegetable oil injected Butterball turkeys, to draping my turkey with butter drenched cheese cloths, to basting the bird every 30 minutes– and I even tried Alton Brown’s brined a turkey. Over the decades, I’ve had semi-raw birds, overcooked birds and then I’ve had great turkey!
To be perfectly honest, I don’t care for brined poultry. I can tell the difference in the texture of the meat– I find that brined poultry takes on a spongy texture that doesn’t agree with my tongue. My husband doesn’t care for brined turkey, either. I apologize if I offend those of you who are true “brine fans”, but I skip that step. I have come to rely on a cooking thermometer and prepping the turkey with great seasonings, and butter.
This year, I decided to research how one of my favorite cookbook authors and Food Network stars– Ina Garten– roasts her turkey. Ina hasn’t failed me, yet.
I have converted to buying only a Diestel Turkey (we paid $2.09 a pound), and we picked it up the day before Thanksgiving…fresh and unfrozen. These birds are raised in the foothills of the California Sierras. They’re a sustainable farm and certified organic, for those of you who appreciate what that means. Their turkeys are hormone-free, range free and I believe that the higher cost is well worth the price. I’m a fan of buying from turkey farms, like this, for the rest of my Thanksgiving years to come.
Last week, I caught Ina’s show on Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter. I had no intention of investing in truffle butter, because I think it’s highly overrated– but, that’s me! What I found interesting were the tips that Ina’s friend gave.
- Don’t baste the turkey, and you’ll get a crisper skin
- Don’t stuff the turkey (which I quit doing years ago). An unstuffed bird will cook more evenly. I agree!
- Generously salt (season) the cavity of the bird.
- Instead, the bird was stuffed with a whole head of garlic, herbs and onion.
Don’t baste the bird? I was game to test this theory. But, first, I start with making gravy. One of the best tips I’ve learned, over the years, is make-ahead turkey gravy. About a month ago, I bought some turkey legs that were on sale. I’ve learned that there are folks who LOVE turkey legs this time of year, and I couldn’t find them last November. I froze the turkey legs, until Thanksgiving Week approached… because I was busy, I didn’t get a chance to make the gravy until Thanksgiving morning. Still, I think this is a time-saver, because once the bird comes out of the oven– guests have arrived– gravy making can be stressful and distracting. I got the idea from Tyler Florence. I’ve, since adapted it a bit, and it’s a keeper:
REALITY CHECK: I you don’t want to make your own turkey or chicken stock, by all means, buy canned or boxed!
You need fresh herbs. Here’s my winter herb garden– left to right: tarragon, Italian parsley, sage, marjorgan and thyme & oregano. These herbs are doing so well! I cut springs of everything to use for my turkey stock, herb butter (for my turkey) and for the cornbread dressing.
The turkey legs were seasoned with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and drizzled with olive oil. I roasted them at 375F for about 45 minutes. Can you see all that brown stuff? Flavor! Don’t wash the pan, because that’s the flavor for the gravy. Now, for the turkey stock that will make delicious gravy…
I had to blow up this picture. How golden and crunchy and good does that turkey leg look?
Ina Garten’s Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter
Ingredients
- 1 12 to 14-pound fresh turkey, with giblets removed
- 3 ounces white truffle butter room temperature
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Large bunch fresh thyme
- 1 large onion unpeeled and cut in eighths
- 1 whole head garlic unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
- Good olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Drain any juices from the turkey and place it on a flat rack in a large, shallow roasting pan. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
- Working from the large cavity end, gently run your fingers between the skin and the meat to loosen the skin, taking care not to tear the skin. (Be careful not to do this with rings on your fingers!) Place the softened butter under the skin and gently massage the skin to spread the butter evenly over the whole breast.
- Sprinkle the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Place half of the thyme sprigs in the cavity along with the onion and garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tie 1 length of string around the bird and the wings to keep the wings close to the body.
- Brush the turkey with olive oil, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Remove 1 tablespoon of thyme leaves from the stems, chop them, and sprinkle on the turkey. Roast the turkey for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until an instant-read thermometer placed in the center of the breast registers 160°F. If you want the skin to be crisp, don't baste the turkey at all! About halfway through, when the breast is golden brown, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the skin from burning.
- Remove from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Carve and serve with the pan juices.
How to Make Perfect Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
Equipment
- large roasting pan
Ingredients
- 4 turkey wings can use 2 turkey legs
- 4 ribs celery (use leaves too)
- 1 onion cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 8 cups water
- 10 peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups turkey stock strained with fat skimmed
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or a splash of white wine I prefer white wine (both are optional) leaving this out, still yields a delicious gravy
- Kosher salt to taste I used 1/2 teaspoon
- Fresh cracked pepper optional
Instructions
- Using a large roasting pan*, place the turkey wings in the pan. Add the celery, onion and garlic. Note: You don’t have to bother peeling the onion, nor garlic.
- Roast at 375°F for about 2 hours. *you can use a Dutch oven, if you prefer
- To the roasted turkey wings, and add 8 cups of water. Add the bay leaves.To add the peppercorns, if you have a mesh tea ball, that’s perfect. Otherwise, place them in a small piece of cheesecloth, tied with kitchen twine for easy removal. Set the roasting rack directly on the stove. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about an hour.
- Carefully remove the turkey wings and vegetables. (My husband removes the meat for our pets.) Carefully pour the stock through a mesh strainer into a heat-proof large measuring bowl. You should have about 8 cups of turkey stock. Ideally, refrigerate it overnight—or for at least a few hours.
Make the gravy:
- Defat the stock, by skimming it with a large spoon.
- Be sure to have the flour, milk, cider vinegar (or white wine), salt and pepper ready to go. You want to use a whisk.
- I prefer a non-stick deep skillet or large pot. Melt the unsalted on medium-high heat until melted and bubbly.
- While whisking, add the flour evenly and whisk briskly. The flour should incorporate into the butter, and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes, too cook out the flour taste.
- Slowly add up to 2 cups of turkey stock (reserve at least 1/2 cup of stock in case you turn your gravy into concrete), in half-cup increments, whisking all the while. The liquid should be quite thick. Add the whole milk, then the apple cider vinegar, or white wine, (this really brightens the flavor of the gravy).
- Season with kosher salt, in 1/4 teaspoon increments. Taste each time, until seasoned to your liking. Too much salt is disastrous, so just go slow and easy. I prefer to add fresh cracked black pepper, but this is optional.
- Once you roast your holiday turkey, you can add more defatted turkey drippings to give the gravy an even darker color, and for more flavor.
Notes
Nutrition
Debby, it looks like you did good! The turkey looks out of this world and you know I love those wonderful King Arthur rolls; the dessert looks so tasty, too.
Relax and we all will be looking forward to your next wave of 'good cooking'!
All I have to say is WOW!! Thank you for this inspiring blog. As a family farmer and avid promoter of high quality food from sustainable farms I really appreciate the tasty treats!
Jason Diestel
Family Farmer
Diestel Family Turkey Ranch
Debby, sounds like you had a successful Thanksgiving dinner. I too love Ina and she has never let me down either. I don't stuff the bird and my husband makes the most fantastic gravy imaginable. I make my own cornbread to use as dressing.
We're stuffed…..
Sam
Ina is a favorite of mine, too, and I'm not a bit surprised about the no basting. I don't baste either. I also agree about the brining; at the risk of being thrown out of the blogging world, I think it's much ado about nothing. I'm going to try those KA rolls soon. I've always gone with biscuits at Thanksgiving, but those look very tasty. I must confess I didn't take one picture on Thanksgiving.
Ina has never let me down, either. She has an herbed turkey breast recipe that I have used the last few years.
Here's to a wonderful and successful Thanksgiving ~ thanks for all the tips you shared!
Deb,
I love Ina. I make her roast chicken weekly. I only made breasts this year because I had so many people and not enough room for all the sides….but it was delicious.
Looking forward to all your upcoming posts!
xxoo
Sounds as though you had a great Thanksgiving. Ina is pretty consistent. I enjoy her recipes. How you ever got everything done…a mystery!
Your turkey looks great and you know I'm all over those rolls!
Glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Everything looks wonderful! Sounds like a relaxing and wonderful Thanksgiving with great food! Loved all the pictures. I didn't think about pictures until everything was almost gone
Your turkey looks wonderful, Debbie. I don't brine either. I prefer to salt rub the turkey or chicken.
What a great Thanksgiving you had (and deserve!). I love that you used a free range turkey, which I totally agree is worth the extra pennies! I've never brined because every turkey baked (and FRIED) are always great without it. Why fix it if it ain't broke? I'm so glad to see another die hard foodie like you who has and uses a fresh herb garden. It's the only way! I was so busy in the kitchen that hardly anything got photographed, you're amazing!!! Roz
Ina Garten
I would like to serve her country Pinto beans, cornbread, and a host of produce that I grew up with in NC