Tag Archives: Thanksgiving Recipes

A Fabulous Turkey Recipe!

I know you may be thinking…..who needs a recipe to make a turkey? You put some butter on the top, salt and pepper and stick it in the oven. Well that is what I thought until I actually made a turkey for the first time and wanted some help.

I found this recipe from watching a local cooking show with a top chef in Minneapolis and I have used it ever since. I don’t know what it is (maybe the fresh spices vs the powdered) that makes it so tasty but tasty it is!

Herb-Roasted Turkey

1 – 14 lb Turkey (mine was larger and I used proportionately more spices)
1 TB salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
18 sprigs fresh thyme
4 medium onions, peeled and sliced
1 large leek, chopped (white and tender green only)
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 TB peppercorns
1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks) melted
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash turkey and reserve giblets. Carefully rinse and dry bird inside and out. Rub all surfaces with salt and butter, including cavity. Place 12 sprigs of thyme in the cavity.

Put onions, leek, carrots, celery, bay leaves, six thyme sprigs, peppercorns and giblets on bottom of large heavy roasting pan. Place bird on top of vegetables. Cover opening of cavity with foil. Pour butter over all surfaces of turkey. Sprinkle on sage, thyme and chives. Cover loosely with tent of aluminum foil. Roast 2 1/2 hours, undisturbed.

Remove foil to let skin brown. Baste every 20 minutes for an hour. The bird should cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Remove from oven. Transfer to platter and cover with foil. Let rest 20-60 minutes before carving.

And here is a bonus! This gravy is a definite must with the turkey!

Shallot Herb Gravy

1 1/2 cups defatted turkey stock from pan drippings
1 TB fat from pan drippings
3 TBS minced shallots
3 TBS flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 TB fresh chives, chopped
1 TB fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped

Strain vegetables and pan drippings into bowl to catch liquids. Discard bay leaves and peppercorns but reserve rest of vegetables for dressing recipe.

Set bowl of strained liquid in to larger bowl of ice water to help separate fat. Skim off fat. Reserve 1 TB of fat to cook shallots, and discard the rest. You should have about 1 1/2 Cups of defatted turkey stock.

In medium saucepan, saute shallots in 1 TB reserved fat. Add flour, mix ell and cook, stirring constantly, 3-4 minutes or until four lightly browns. Slowly add 1 1/2 cups stock and 1 cup broth, stirring frequently. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Add fresh herbs and serve hot. Makes about 3 cups.

Enjoy! And have a very blessed and yummy Thanksgiving!

Great ‘Stuffing’ Recipe for your Thanksgiving Meal!

Daylight is shorter, cold winds are blowing; and it is time to give Thanks with friends and family!

Last year I shared my favorite Thanksgiving Recipe “Yams with Praline” and the link will take you to that post if you missed it. But I wanted to share one more with you.

One thing that is a must have on your Thanksgiving table is stuffing. I mean who doesn’t like to stuff themselves on stuffing! (Or do you call it dressing??) Well here is a twist for your stuffing this year. Roasted Garlic and Granny Smith Apples! SO YUMMY!

Dressing with Roasted Garlic Apples

1 Cup onion, diced

1 Cup celery, diced

1 Cup Granny Smith apples, diced

1/4 cup shallots, minced

2 TBLS butter

2 Cups hearty chicken stock

2 TBLS roasted garlic puree (roast garlic bulb in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until softened, peel and mash)

1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, stems removed

1 TBLS chopped fresh chives

1 TBLS chopped fresh basil

4 cups died white bread croutons, toasted

Salt and fresh ground pepper

In Large skillet over medium heat, saute onions, celery, apples and shallots in 2 TBLS butter until tender. Add 2 cups chicken stock and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add garlic and herbs. Stir in croutons. Serve immediately or put in baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until crunchy. Serves 8.

I made my stuffing ahead of time (in the morning) and baked it prior to the the meal. Oh My Gosh It Is Good!

Many blessings to you this Thanksgiving season and don’t forget to give thanks every day no matter what your circumstances.

Want Your Thanksgiving Guests to think you are a Gourmet Chef?

Well you can with this recipe. Plus it is SOOOOO good. If you are a guest at someone’s home for Thanksgiving offer to bring something and bring this. It will be a hit!

This recipe was published about 15 years ago on a cooking show here in Minneapolis and it has been one of my favorites. Did I mention it is so yummy?? And it can be made in advance!

Yams

Yams with Praline

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 TBS butter, at room temperature

3 TBS all-purpose flour

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

6 medium yams or sweet potatoes (about 3 lbs), peeled and cut into ~ inch thick rounds

1 ~ cups heavy cream, heated.

In bowl, work together brown sugar, butter and flour until well combined, then work in pecans. Set aside. (This topping can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add yams and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain and rinse under cold running water.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

Arrange yams, overlapping in vertical rows in dish. (This can be done up to 8 hours before baking, covered tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerated).

Pour cream over yams. Bake for 20 minutes. Crumble pecan mixture over yams and continue baking until yams are tender and topping is browned, 20 – 20 minutes longer. Serves 8-12.

Yams with Praline

And there you have it. Beautiful and delicious!

Shar Sitter, owner Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis MN.

CHSE and APSD Home Stager Pro Trainer

www.RoomsWithStyle.com

952-567-1124