Thanksgiving dinner is not Thanksgiving dinner without Turkey (unless you’re vegetarian). You may not end up eating this big ugly at any time for the rest of the year, you may not even like it, but at Thanksgiving, and Christmas in the UK it is an absolute must.
The problem is, turkey can often be a bit bland, and because of its gargantuan size, it can also be pretty dry. However, cooked correctly, it can be juicy and delicious. My mum fills the cavity with water for the first part of cooking meaning the meat stays deliciously moist, but you can still achieve crispy skin. I use stock instead of water for extra flavour as well as adding aromatic star anise and a bay leaf for a little festive spice. I also glaze the turkey with maple syrup which results in sweet, sticky skin.
Ingredients (choose weight of turkey according to how many people you are feeding. Generally a 6kg will feed around 10. Spices can remain the same)
1 Turkey
1ltr vegetable stock
2 star anise
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 onion
1 head of garlic
1 250g block of butter
6 rashers of streaky bacon
200mls maple syrup
Directions
Chop the head of garlic in half and place in a deep roasting dish big enough to hold the avian beast. Chop the onion into wedges and place in the tin with a few nobs of butter.
Place turkey on top breast side down. Add star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves to stock and pour into the cavity of the turkey. Slather the upper side with butter and put in the oven. The cooking time of the turkey will depend on its size. For a beast between 4.5 and 6.5kg, allow 40mins per kg. For a turkey over 6.5 kg, allow 35mins per kg. Baste with pan juices every half an hour throughout cooking.
About 2/3 of the way through cooking, remove turkey from oven and drain the liquid out of both the bird and the tray. Place back in the tray, breast side up, and slather with butter. Place the bacon streaks diagonally across the bird, drizzle with maple syrup and place back in the oven. I have been told that the bacon is a pretty British addition, but it adds loads of moisture and plenty of flavour.
When the turkey is cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to rest for half an hour before carving.
Image via My Recipes