Herb, Lemon and Garlic Turkey

Thanksgiving and turkeys are synonymous.    Like baseball and hot dogs, birthdays and cake, you can't think about Thanksgiving without thinking about the turkey.  Giant turkeys are the centerpiece of countless tables around the country on Thanksgiving Day.  Not only that, its the stuff that great leftovers are made of.  Turkey sandwiches, soups, salads and casseroles - the delicious sustenance that gets us through the week following Thanksgiving.  

Our turkey may take center stage on our Thanksgiving table but there is no shortage of great side dishes and desserts to indulge in too.  Sweet potato soufflé, green bean casserole, freshly baked rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan squares - I have to be strategic to even fit it all on my normal sized dinner plate.  I do some serious prioritizing so that I can manage to taste a little bit of everything before I get too full.  The Thanksgiving struggle is real.   

So why am I talking about Thanksgiving turkey in the middle of the summer?  We're at least 3 months away from our next great Thanksgiving meal.  It's because I don't feel like I can fully appreciate the turkey on Thanksgiving because there is so much other great food to consume.  AND I just love turkey so much that I make one every couple of months.  Turns out all those great leftovers are just as delicious even when we're not in a post holiday slump.  

My recipe for herb, lemon and garlic turkey is a perfectly simple way to prepare a turkey any time of year.  It can be prepped a day in advance and then roasted on the day that you want to serve the deliciously juicy bird.  This recipe is so easy but your family will think your a turkey rockstar.  

Herb, Lemon and Garlic Turkey
14 pound turkey
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 sprigs each rosemary, thyme and sage
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
2 lemons
1 head garlic, halved
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped chives
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon pepper

Remove giblets from turkey.  Pat turkey dry.  Rub with 2 t. salt and sugar.  Refrigerate uncovered 8 hours or overnight. 

Let turkey stand at room temperature for 1 hour.  Chop 1/2 herbs and combine half with butter.  Chop half of parsley. 

​Place remaining chopped herbs, unchopped parsley, lemons and garlic in turkey cavity. 

Place turkey on rack in roasting pan.  Bake 15 minutes at 425. 

Reduce heat to 350.  Brush with herbed butter mixture.  Add 1 c. wine to pan.  Bake 1 hour.  

Add remaining wine to pan.  Cover turkey with foil and bake 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand.  

Sprinkle turkey with 2 T. chopped parsley and 2 T. chives. 

Combine 1/4 c. drippings and  1/2 c. stock in saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  

Add 3 c. stock.  Bring to a boil.  

​Combine 1/2 c. stock and flour in a bowl.  Stir into stock mixture and cook 10 minutes. Stir in 1 t. salt, 2 T. parsley, 2 T. chives and pepper. 

Serve turkey with gravy. 

Slice and enjoy. 

You've probably figured out by now that I made a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey like indicated on the recipe.  The only reason that I did that was because I could not find a whole turkey anywhere!  Apparently, I'm the only person cooking turkeys in August.  Oh well, turns out a turkey breast works just as well with this recipe.  

​Ciao!

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