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Alternative whole turkey recipe

seems like the boards are kinda quiet this week, but i have a question for anyone who is around. some friends and I are going snowboarding the week after new years and one of my friends got a free turkey that she never cooked. she is excited to bring it but all of my other friends are "sick of roasted turkey" from having it multiple times in the past 2 months. I am normally creative about stuff like this but I cant think of what to do with it! Are crazy spice blend rubs the answer? or should I do something like this to switch it up a bit. i guess I just need it to NOT taste like the holidays.

10 Comments:

Pretend he's a giant chicken. Season him in and out with s/p. Roll a bunch of lemons to soften them and pierce them full of holes with a fork. Stuff them, along with some fresh rosemary branches into the turkey. Close him up and tie his legs together (her?). Place breast down (ok, her) in a roasting pan with a little water and white wine. Roast. This should self-bast but I'd check anyway. If you don't like rosemary, or it's too holiday-y, leave it out. The lemon is plenty tasty on it's own.

I'll borrow Carol's line, but make it gender neutral: Pretend it's a giant chicken... and do it Asian style, with soy sauce, five spice powder, garlic, ginger, a little white wine and honey. You could even stuff the cavity with scallions and slivered ginger for even more flavor. The soy and honey brown the skin nicely, but you'll probably need to watch and cover with foil after a bit so it doesn't burn.

Serve with jasmine rice, stir-fried bean sprouts and/or snow peas.

Inject it, rub it and fry it. You'll be amazed. Plenty of tips on the 'net.

I started out typing something along the lines of sous vide the breast, and confit the legs.

How about sticking some bacon and sage leaves under the skin?

I think I would dismember him and cook the legs and wings seperate and debone the breast and stuff it with spinach cheese and some fresh herbs, roll it and braise it. I would do the legs and wings in a teryaki type style just to be different from the breast. Use your imagination and have fun.

You could also make a rub using Middle Eastern spices - cumin, sumac, a bit of hot pepper, turmeric, ground coriander seeds, even a bit of cinnamon. And of course, plenty of garlic and olive oil! Stuff with citrus and thyme, if you wish.

Cut up the turkey into parts, brown them then braise in a mole sauce. You can serve it with rice or shred the meat to make tacos/enchiladas/soft burritos.

Rick Bayless has a great recipe for peanut mole - a much simpler recipe than the traditional Oaxoacan mole and very yummy.

The sauce keeps (and freezes) well so you can make it ahead and bring it with you.

Its a good sauce for braising a pork roast in too, or chicken thighs.

When I have an extra turkey I would always do this...Especially in the summer month picnics when you are not expecting turkey. Roast the turkey, rubbed with a butter herb mixture of garlic, onion powder, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Then I would make turkey salad sandwiches. After the turkey rested, take all the meat off, dice and mix with diced onion, celery, pickle, mayo, course ground mustard. Chilled it and served it on bakery fresh sub rolls with fresh lettuce and tomato. It's always a hit.

I would smoke the turkey. There are instructions in the manual of our weber coal grill, you can use hickory. It comes out so juicy and has a completely different flavor than roasted, almost bacony. You can serve it with summer type sides like corn on the cob, cole slaw and mac salad. Not holodaylike at all.

Great ideas here. Also good for budget meals made with inexpensive turkey parts which are in the markets right now.

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