happy turkey day y’all!
..well, i guess i should clarify.. i am not referring to the holiday we all knowingly love + know as turkey day but instead i am referring to COOK a turkey day!
this year, i decided to hop on the trend wagon + give spatchcocking a whirl!
spatch who? cock what?
the method with the silly namesake is just a fancy schmancy term for removing the backbone of the bird + flattening it -skin side up- for roasting!
but, why?
well! roasting the turkey this way has a few awesome upsides!
it promises uber moist meat, crispy skin AND cooks in only 75 minutes!
a thanksgiving dinner in under 2 hours? i know! my mind was blown as well!
but, per usual, when i went into the cooking process for my first time, i was a little skeptical. but i was using Martha’s recipe with the help of the geniuses over at Serious Eats.. so i knew the claim must be true!
..and it was!
the butcher did my backbone removing + all i had to do was get the tom home, lay it flat, caress it with some herb butter lovin’ + let it roast to bronze perfection while i watched 3 episodes of ‘say yes to the dress’.
CRAZY easy, right!?
herb butter, you say?
mmhmm! used is a simple blend of equal parts thyme, sage, chives, parsley, lemon zest, shallots + garlic! you toss all the herb + allium goodness into a food processor + let the magical gadget do all the hard work.
the traditional herbs mixed with a few surprising ones led to an amazing yet subtle flavor upgrade for our unique turkey!
i am going to link the sites i used to guide me along my spatchcocking journey – because they did all the imagining on this one!
for my first ever {!} turkey, i felt that letting the master guide me was the best route. and let me tell ya, Martha knows her turkey talk!
speaking of being a first-timer. . as you can see by my photos, i totally missed the memo on tucking + securing the wings of the bird! so that’s why my turkey is wavin’ its wings like it just don’t care! let’s just say, hes an inquisitive turkey!
thanks for stopping by for this internet friendsgiving we’re having this week!
so far, we’ve covered a crowd-pleasing appetizer, a gorgeous greens salad, a classic side + now the turkey!
tomorrow we are posting a classic cornbread + sourdough stuffing {do you call it dressing? who calls it dressing?!} to keep this gorgeous bird company!
gobble gobble!
- 12 pound turkey, backbone removed
- 1 large head of garlic
- 1 large shallot
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- combine the garlic through salt in a food processor until smooth. set aside
- preheat your oven to 450 °
- line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil + fit with a wire rack on top. set aside.
- start with a spatchcocked turkey {backbone removed - your butcher can do this for you! if you want to do on your own, follow these steps! be sure to hold onto the backbone + any gizzards that are available so that you can use them to flavor your gravy!}
- lay the turkey down -skin side up- and firmly press on the breast bones until you hear a crack.
- next, using your hands, you will need to separate the skin from the flesh on the turkey. start by entering at the bottom of the breast and moving upward. then, move to the legs, entering at the outside of the thigh.
- once the skin is loosened, use your hands to place clumps of the herb butter underneath the skin. you will want to use half of the butter mixture. {do not worry about spreading it out - you will do this from the outside in the next step!}
- now, massage the outside of the turkey to spread the butter evenly underneath the skin!
- using a silicone brush, ‘paint’ the outside of the turkey with the remaining herb butter.
- at this time, move the turkey to the roasting sheet pan + place into the preheated oven.
- roast for 75 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads the breast meat at 145 °-150 ° and the leg meat at 165 °.
- remove the turkey from the oven + let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.
- for carving instructions, follow Martha’s tips here but simply - remove the legs + wings first, then carve the breast meat off the bone and into desired servings sizes.
- enjoy!
thank you to both of these links for their helpful tips, tricks + recipe!
Herb-Butter Spatchcocked Turkey – Serious Eats
How To Spatchcock a Turkey – Martha Stewart
watch the whole turkey process happen in the video below!
{you can also follow me on snap chat for real time recipes! username: kellymaurine}
join along as kelly posts, pins + peruses for inspiration in her ambitious kitchen!