Thanksgiving leftovers don’t have to be an overwhelming chore – with this simple natasha turkey recipe, you’ll have your turkey ready for carving and serving in no time! With just a few simple tricks, you’ll have your bird ready in no time!
Roasting a turkey should always result in moist, flavorful meat – but every approach works differently.
Ingredients
Natasha from Natasha’s Kitchen always makes an amazing roasted turkey recipe that’s quick, simple to prepare, full of flavor – and one of my all time favorites! This one-pan masterpiece comes together quickly so it won’t leave you hungry for dinner!
Before you begin cooking your turkey, ensure it has fully thawed. For optimal safety, submerge it in cold water for 4-8 hours; alternatively, if time is of the essence, put it in the fridge for up to three days prior to roasting.
Once thawed, rinse the turkey in the sink and discard any giblets (they are not necessary for this recipe). Dry off with paper towels before placing it breast side down on a wire roasting rack.
Before you begin cooking the turkey, rub butter all over its skin – including underneath wings and legs. For added flavor, you may even spread some on the inside of the cavity.
Making herb butter ahead of time is the best way to go, and I suggest making some ahead of time so you have it on hand when roasting your turkey! Not only does it have a lovely citrusy aroma, but it also works wonders for the turkey during roasting!
For this herb butter recipe, simply combine two sticks of softened butter, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, pressed garlic cloves and parsley. I like to mash these together using a fork so the flavors blend nicely together.
You could also add some fresh rosemary and thyme for a lovely aroma to the turkey, though they won’t make much difference to its flavor.
Don’t forget to save all the drippings from your turkey when it’s cooked if you want a head start on gravy! These will add an incredible flavor to the final product!
I particularly admire how many of these recipes pre-baste their skin with a mixture of fat, salt and herbs before roasting. This technique is incredibly popular – used in twelve out of twenty-one recipes I found.
Prep
When prepping your turkey for the holidays, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Some are straightforward while others require more precision; either way, these steps will ensure you have an ideal turkey that will please everyone at the table.
Before beginning cooking your turkey, ensure it has a fully thawed carcass. Additionally, ensure there is an even breast-to-leg ratio as leg meat takes longer to cook than breasts; additionally, roast both parts of the bird at different temperatures for optimal flavor and tenderness.
Preparing the outside of your turkey with fat, salt and herbs or spices before it goes in the oven is a popular technique. Most recipes call for applying an herb butter mixture that includes parsley stems as part of their ingredients list.
You can also add other ingredients to the skin of your turkey, such as onions and garlic. These will impart flavor to any drippings released during roasting and make for delicious gravy. Plus, they’ll produce a crispier skin on your bird!
Another technique for prepping the skin of your turkey is using parchment paper or foil, which helps trap any drippings released during cooking and create a crispier surface on the bird’s skin. But be sure not to remove this protective layer until after the turkey has been taken out of the oven.
Finally, most authors agree that resting your turkey after roasting is essential. Most recipes recommend between fifteen and thirty minutes of rest time for this purpose – it will allow the temperature to return to its natural balance as well as ensure your turkey remains tender and juicy when taken out of the oven.
Cook
For a delicious and stress-free roast turkey recipe this holiday season, the Natasha turkey is your answer! Made with butter, fresh herbs and garlic, this easy recipe produces an incredibly tender bird that’s sure to please guests.
Before you begin cooking the turkey, ensure it has thawed and been refrigerated for at least 30 minutes to guarantee even baking. Furthermore, remove any giblets or neck (if present) as this will help release any extra liquid that could be causing the meat to steam or cook unevenly.
After washing the turkey, make sure it’s completely dry by patting with paper towels and placing on a wire rack to air out. Doing this helps avoid soggy bottoms which could lead to burning or sticking of the poultry.
Some people argue that rinsing your turkey’s skin is unnecessary, while others contend it creates a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Regardless of your opinion on this matter, be sure to clean any surfaces used during preparation such as sinks and countertops thoroughly after each use.
Rinsing is highly recommended during roasting to help the skin become as crispy as possible. Furthermore, it removes any excess fat which could make the skin soggy.
The most popular skin preparation technique involved pre-baste it with butter, either with or without herbs and/or spices. Twelve recipes took this approach, the majority of which added some kind of herb or spice rub to the butter before applying it directly onto the skin.
Some recipes used a different type of butter, such as olive oil, to pre-baste the skin before baking. Unfortunately, these were the only ones without applying flavorings prior to baking; however, this was only a minority among all recipes tested.
Another unique preparation technique involves starting the turkey breast side down and then turning it over, breast side up, during roasting. This helps the skin on the breast side crisp up while making it juicier as the meat continues to cook inside.
Serve
A creamy turkey salad is an enjoyable way to use up leftover turkey, especially if it has some cranberry sauce on top. Plus, this dish provides extra servings of veggies!
This recipe also makes an excellent topping for sandwiches; I suggest using lettuce leaves or even some of your favorite rolls. Don’t forget to add some slices of green chilies for extra flavor!
I love how this simple recipe uses a lot of turkey broth, which you can save for gravy or other dishes (like Natasha’s cheesy spinach dip). All other ingredients are combined in the food processor and then blended into an even, rich paste.
While using leftover turkey in soups and stews is a great way to use it up, I personally suggest saving them for soups and stews. If cooking for a crowd and having leftovers, make enough soup to feed everyone and store in the fridge until dinnertime.
I was therefore quite surprised that only one of the four recipes used it correctly: Sabrina from Dinner then Dessert’s recipe was deemed “most clever,” as she combined butter and olive oil before pre-bathing the skin with a dry spice rub for extra flavor.
Though none of the recipes I examined utilized a fancy roasting pan, several were worth the effort. Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest and Serena from Serena Bakes Simply from Scratch both cover their turkey in cheesecloth that has been soaked in butter – something I had never come across before.