It's like cooking a BIG chicken...
The sentence flowed easily out of my mouth, "Think about it as though you are cooking a big chicken". The statement bemused the woman I was speaking with, her gaze spoke volumes of bewildered amusement. I sought to reassure her, "Truly, preparing Thanksgiving Dinner and mastering the turkey can be wonderfully uncomplicated. Simply look at the turkey like an oversized chicken, strip away the anxiety, and turn what feels like a daunting task into a manageable one." Cooking should be a joy, a dance with flavors and aromas. If the kitchen becomes a place of tension, perhaps it is the approach to cooking that needs to be reimagined, not the act itself.
My "student" continued to ask an array of Thanksgiving questions, eliciting a mixture of amusement and mild exasperation from the Irishman. I topped off the Irishman's wine glass, which instantly smoothed his edges.
The conversation ended with the "student" proposing that I host a "Thanksgiving School", a notion not without its charms. But for now, regardless if you are cooking for a crowd or just a few including an Irishman with a discerning palate, pour yourself a glass of bubbles and embrace the joy of cooking that "grand turkey" and revel in the spirit of the holiday.
Thanksgiving Turkey aka The Big Chicken
A simple and delicious turkey for your holiday table. This is a guide more than a recipe, if you don't like citrus don't use it (The Irishman does not) if want sweet or spicy go for it, have fun, and remember it is just a turkey.
1 12- to 16-pound fresh turkey (frozen is fine, but I have always used a fresh turkey)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good bourbon
3 sticks unsalted butter, (1 stick at room temperature, melt the other 2 sticks)
4 tangerines or "little cuties" (2 cut in half, leave 2 whole)
4 bunches fresh thyme (chop 1 bunch, leave the rest whole)
4 bunches fresh sage (chop 1 bunch, leave the rest whole)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
6 - 8 shallots peeled and left whole
1 tablespoon Bells poultry seasoning (or something similar)
Roasting Pan and rack
2 days before roasting: Remove the giblets from the turkey’s cavity as well as the turkey neck, (I use the neck for stock and cook the giblets for the animals.) Sprinkle the turkey generously with kosher salt, including the cavities. Place turkey on a sheet pan and place in the fridge uncovered, this will help aid in delicious crispy turkey skin on Thanksgiving.
3 hours before roasting: Remove the turkey from the fridge and drain the juice from the sheet pan. Allow the turkey to come to room temperature, for about 2 hours.
While the turkey is coming to room temperature, in a saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter. Once the butter has melted add the bourbon, 1 bunches of sage, 1 bunches of thyme, 3 shallots, and 2 of the cut-up tangerines. Keep this on a very low flame, you use this to baste as the turkey roasts.
With the remaining room-temperature butter, add the chopped herbs, poultry seasoning, and a good pinch of salt and pepper, mix well into a paste, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450 *
Place the roasting rack inside the roasting pan and place the turkey on the rack. Fill the bird with the remaining whole bunches of herbs, parsley, shallots, and tangerines. Season with salt and pepper and a good drizzle of the melted butter. Rub the turkey with the herb butter generously, use it all! Truss the legs (tying them together) with kitchen twine or any other string you have around.
Roast turkey for 25 to 30 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350° and continue roasting the bird until a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast reads 150 to 155. Every 30 minutes or so baste the turkey generously with the melted herb butter.
A 14 to 16-pound turkey takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Remember that if you’re opening and closing the oven door a bunch of times to move other dishes around, it will take longer to cook (up to 30 minutes).
Rest, carve, and serve: Allow the turkey to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before carving. This will allow the juices to be locked in and the turkey to carry over to an internal temperature of 165°F. Use the rest time to rewarm any sides that need it and to make the gravy.
Bia maith leat. Bon Appetit. Spis godt