Buttery Lemon Turkey Recipes

LEMON-HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest and minced thyme. Pat turkey dry. Sprinkle salt and pepper over skin of turkey and inside cavity; brush with butter mixture. Place the lemon, onion, garlic and thyme sprigs inside cavity. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together., Place flour in oven bag and shake to coat. Place bag in a roasting pan; add turkey to bag, breast side up. Cut six 1/2-in. slits in top of bag; close bag with tie provided., Bake at 350° for 2-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours or until a thermometer reads 180°. Remove turkey to a serving platter and keep warm. Let stand for 15 minutes before carving. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy. Freeze option: Freeze cooled turkey and gravy in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a covered skillet, gently stirring and adding a little broth or water if necessary.

BUTTERY LEMON TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, whisk the first eight ingredients until blended; reserve 1/4 cup mixture for brushing turkey after roasting., Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Roast, uncovered, 2 hours, basting occasionally with remaining butter mixture., Roast 30-60 minutes longer or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°. Baste occasionally with pan drippings., Remove turkey from oven. Warm reserved butter mixture to melt butter; brush over turkey. Tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving.

BUTTER-BLANKETED TURKEY

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lowest position (with room above to fit the turkey) and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Remove any turkey parts from the cavity and reserve for another use if desired. Dry the turkey well with paper towels inside and out. Sprinkle the cavity with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stuff with the thyme, rosemary, lemon wedges and half of the onion wedges.
• In a small bowl, mix together the 4 tablespoons room temperature butter with the paprika to make a smooth, spreadable mixture. Using your hands, carefully separate the skin from the flesh of the turkey from the breasts toward the legs, making sure not to tear the skin. Spread about half of the butter mixture evenly between the skin and flesh on one side. Do the same on the other side using the remaining butter mixture. Any residual butter on your hands or in the bowl can be rubbed on the outside of the turkey. Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with 2 teaspoons salt, making sure to get it all over the surface.
• Scatter the celery pieces, whole carrots and remaining onion wedges in the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the roasting rack in the pan, making sure it is level. Pour the broth into the pan. Transfer the turkey to the rack, tuck the wings back under the body and tie the legs together with butcher's twine.
• Cut a 20-inch piece of cheesecloth and fold twice, creating 4 layers. Submerge the cloth in the melted butter, making sure it is completely saturated with it. Gently squeeze the cloth, then re-form so there are 4 layers and place on top of the turkey, covering it completely. Use a turkey baster to baste the cheesecloth with some of the remaining melted butter.
• Roast for 30 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Baste the turkey with the pan juices and more of the melted butter. Continue to roast, basting with butter and pan drippings every 30 minutes, for an additional 2 hours.
• Very gently remove the cheesecloth from the turkey, taking care not to tear the skin (see Cook's Note). Baste one more time, then return the turkey to the oven with the breasts facing towards the back and roast until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh measures 165 degrees F, about another 30 minutes. Let rest for 30 minutes before carving.

QUICK THANKSGIVING TURKEY WITH LEMON-GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Cook butter, garlic, lemon zest, and rosemary in a small pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Reduce heat to low and let simmer to infuse flavors, about 5 minutes.
• Brush turkey generously with butter mixture on all sides and under skin, getting some garlic and lemon zest under skin-that'll make it taste so much better. Season turkey with 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. salt and 1 Tbsp. pepper on all sides and arrange skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1/2 cup wine around turkey pieces.
• Cover with foil and roast turkey 20 minutes. Uncover, brush tops of each piece with butter mixture, and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each piece registers 165°F, 40-50 minutes. Some pieces might be done before others, so test each one. Let turkey rest 20 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, strain pan drippings through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring cup or bowl. Skim fat off surface (or use a fat separator if you have one). You should have about 1/2 cup drippings. Whisk in cornstarch until smooth.
• Bring remaining 1/2 cup wine to a boil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add broth and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in turkey drippings and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer turkey to a platter. Serve with pan sauce alongside.

LEMON-HERB TURKEY WITH BAY BUTTER AND GRAVY

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine butter and 3 tablespoons salt. Lightly pound bay leaves and two-thirds of rosemary in a mortar-and-pestle (or roll over a few times in a sealed plastic bag with a rolling pin), keeping leaves intact.
• Using your fingers, separate turkey skin from breasts and legs. Rub half of butter mixture under skin. Tuck bay-rosemary mixture and lemon zest evenly under skin. Season both cavities with salt; stuff with all but 3 sprigs thyme and all but 3 sprigs remaining rosemary. Rub outside of turkey all over with remaining butter mixture. Transfer turkey to a roasting pan lined with a rack and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 24 hours and up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature 1 to 2 hours before roasting.
• Preheat oven to 350°F, with rack in lower third. Prick whole lemons all over with the tines of a fork. Stuff 2 lemons into larger cavity, along with 1 head garlic; tie legs with kitchen twine. Stuff remaining lemon into neck cavity. Pour 1 cup stock into pan. Add remaining 1 head garlic.
• Roast turkey 1 hour. Continue roasting, basting every 20 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh (near but not touching bone) registers 165°, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours, 30 minutes more, depending on size. If pan becomes dry during roasting, add more stock, 1/2 cup at a time. Transfer turkey to a carving board or platter; let stand at least 20 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, remove rack from pan. Tilt pan and skim excess fat from drippings (or use a fat separator). Place pan across 2 burners. Carefully remove lemon from neck cavity and squeeze 1 to 2 tablespoons juice into drippings; squeeze cloves of roasted garlic from pan into drippings. Add remaining rosemary and thyme sprigs. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups stock; boil until reduced by half and thickened slightly, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and more squeezes of lemon juice to taste. Strain gravy through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Carve turkey and serve with gravy.

ROAST TURKEY WITH CITRUS BUTTER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Pat the turkey dry all over with kitchen paper. Now weigh the bird and calculate the cooking time at 40 mins per kg.
• Mix the butter with the zests and herbs, and season well. Gently push your fingers under the turkey's skin, starting from the neck end of the bird, easing the skin away from the flesh over both the breasts and the tops of the drumsticks. Spread the butter under the skin, pushing it in as far as you can, then smooth the skin back into place. Halve the lemon and orange and put in the turkey cavity along with 2 onion halves and the bay leaves.
• Rub turkey all over with oil and sprinkle with salt. Arrange remaining onions in the bottom of a large roasting tin to act as a trivet for the bird. Sit the turkey on top and completely cover both bird and tin with foil to make a tent. Roast according to your calculated cooking times.
• Thirty mins before the end of the cooking time, take out the turkey and turn up the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 30 mins until golden.
• To test whether your turkey is cooked, pierce the fattest part of the thigh with a skewer - the juices that run out should be clear and not pink. Keep cooking if the juices are pink and re-check at 10-min intervals. If you like your turkey meat almost falling off the bone, then wiggle the leg - it should give slightly if the meat is ready. Keep cooking and basting until it does.
• Rest the turkey, covered loosely with foil, for at least 30 mins and up to 1 hr before serving. Strain and reserve the cooking juices and keep the onions in the tin for making gravy.

LEMON & HERB-BASTED SIMPLE ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove any giblets from the turkey and save for stock, if you are making your own (see 'Tip'). Remove the bird from the fridge 1 hr before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Wipe the turkey inside and out with kitchen paper.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Starting at the neck-end of the bird, carefully push your fingers between the skin and flesh on the breast, loosening the skin. Mix the butter, lemon zest, herbs and garlic together and season. Push the flavoured butter under the skin and spread over the flesh. Smooth the skin back over the breast.
• You can now stuff the neck-end of the bird with the stuffing, if you like, and secure the skin underneath with a skewer. Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time - it will need 40 mins for every 1kg.
• Transfer the bird to a roasting tin, cover loosely with foil and place in the middle of the oven. Cook for 20 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for the rest of the cooking time. Remove the foil for the last 30 mins. Check if the turkey is cooked by piercing the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer. If the juices run clear, it's cooked. If they are pink, return it to the oven for another 15 mins, then test again. If using a meat thermometer, it should read 80C for the thighs, and the breast should be 75C.
• Remove the cooked turkey from the tin, and place on a serving platter (use the tin to make the gravy - see 'Goes well with'). Cover with foil and leave to rest for 30-45 mins before carving.

TURKEY INJECTION RECIPE

Steps:

• Melt the butter, add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and let cool.