Flat Roasted Garlic Herb Turkey

Flat Roasted Garlic Herb Turkey

Our American friends will be celebrating Thanksgiving next week and I thought what better time to introduce a roasted turkey idea that can be a real time saver when putting together one of the biggest meals of the year. By cutting trough the back bone and roasting the turkey flat, you can cut down on the cooking time and be more sure that the turkey is more evenly and fully cooked throughout.

This was a 12 pound turkey that was fully cooked to perfection in only 90 minutes. The breast was still succulent and juicy and the dark meat fully cooked with no pinkness at the joints, which is such a big worry for many who just don't like to see any pink color in the dark meat. For those of us with only one oven, this turkey was cooked in plenty of time for us to finish roasting our potatoes and warm up the stuffing too, as the turkey rested in our warming drawer.

12-15 pound turkey

Using a sharp chef knife or meat cleaver, cut through all the bones along one side of the turkey's spine. Have your butcher do this if you are not comfortable doing it. Push down firmly at the center breast bone so that the turkey lies flat.

Using your fingertips, carefully loosen the skin from the breast and thighs of the turkey so that you can insert your hand and push some garlic herb butter between the skin and meat. Pat the skin with your plam to evenly spread the garlic herb butter over the surface of the turkey.

For the garlic herb butter mix together:

3/4 cup softened butter
3 cloves minced garlic
6 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme work well but use what you like)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Place the flat turkey on a wire rack, on a large baking sheet. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Do not cover the turkey. Open roast it for 30 minutes before reducing the temperature to 350 degrees F for another hour or so, until the turkey is fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the center of the thickest part of the breast meat has reached a minimum of 170 degrees F.

Never carve a turkey straight out of the oven, this can cause the meat to release too much moisture too quickly and result in a dry turkey. Always let a turkey rest, covered in aluminum foil, for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Flat Roasted Garlic Herb Turkey

Our American friends will be celebrating Thanksgiving next week and I thought what better time to introduce a roasted turkey idea that can be a real time saver when putting together one of the biggest meals of the year. By cutting trough the back bone and roasting the turkey flat, you can cut down on the cooking time and be more sure that the turkey is more evenly and fully cooked throughout.

This was a 12 pound turkey that was fully cooked to perfection in only 90 minutes. The breast was still succulent and juicy and the dark meat fully cooked with no pinkness at the joints, which is such a big worry for many who just don't like to see any pink color in the dark meat. For those of us with only one oven, this turkey was cooked in plenty of time for us to finish roasting our potatoes and warm up the stuffing too, as the turkey rested in our warming drawer.

12-15 pound turkey

Using a sharp chef knife or meat cleaver, cut through all the bones along one side of the turkey's spine. Have your butcher do this if you are not comfortable doing it. Push down firmly at the center breast bone so that the turkey lies flat.

Using your fingertips, carefully loosen the skin from the breast and thighs of the turkey so that you can insert your hand and push some garlic herb butter between the skin and meat. Pat the skin with your plam to evenly spread the garlic herb butter over the surface of the turkey.

For the garlic herb butter mix together:

3/4 cup softened butter
3 cloves minced garlic
6 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme work well but use what you like)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Place the flat turkey on a wire rack, on a large baking sheet. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Do not cover the turkey. Open roast it for 30 minutes before reducing the temperature to 350 degrees F for another hour or so, until the turkey is fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the center of the thickest part of the breast meat has reached a minimum of 170 degrees F.

Never carve a turkey straight out of the oven, this can cause the meat to release too much moisture too quickly and result in a dry turkey. Always let a turkey rest, covered in aluminum foil, for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.