1. Stuffed Roast Turkey
A simple and no-fuss Thanksgiving staple, prepare your Turkey with a generous amount of onion, garlic, and rosemary stuffing for a flavor that will take you back in time. Brush the turkey with butter, salt, and pepper and let it roast for 2-2.5 hours before serving it with chunks of lemon and thyme.
2. Balsamic and Honey Glazed Turkey
The rich flavor of vinegar and honey infused with perfectly roasted turkey gets everyone drooling. Prepare a simmering, buttery broth of balsamic vinegar and brush your turkey with it before putting it back in the oven and repeating the process a couple of times. Let the turkey rest for a few minutes before you begin carving. Make sure you have stuffed the bird with plenty of aromatic herbs and spices that will make this dish complete.
3. Classic Turkey Roast
A classic Turkey consists of lots of seasonal veggies and herbs, which makes it the perfect holiday meal. Fill the bird's cavity with carrots, beans, corn, celery, and onions before roasting it in a preheated oven. Roast until the turkey is golden brown, and serve it with gravy on the side. This classic roast is a comparatively simple dish to prepare if you know the basics. Holidays call for traditional recipes, and what better way to start than a Thanksgiving turkey?
4. Crispy Spatchcocked Turkey
Spatchcocking is cutting out the bird's backbone to marinate and cook it evenly. It also speeds up the roasting process and is a great hack if you are short on time. The skin is exposed to the heat of the oven evenly, which makes it crispier. Use garlic-thyme butter and olive oil to elevate the overall taste.
The bone of the turkey can also be used in preparing the gravy. Instead of canned chicken stock, use real meat and bones in the broth to prepare the gravy, which will give an authentic taste and flavor to it.
5. Fried Turkey in Buffalo Sauce
If you’re one of those hosts tired of hosting the same turkey roast every year, fried turkey is your cue. Put the turkey breast side up in the fryer, and once the oil fills up the bird's cavity, submerge entirely for around 45 minutes until it is golden brown. Prepare the buffalo sauce with a pinch of sugar and some garlic to pair it with the crispy turkey. Evenly apply the sauce all over the bird. However, there are very few flavors that can match the sweet and spicy taste of buffalo sauce.
6. Bacon-Wrapped Turkey
Bacon is one of the most versatile meats on the planet. Giving the classic Thanksgiving turkey a delicious twist, bacon-wrapped turkey has been making its way onto Thanksgiving dinner tables for quite some time now. You won’t need to brine or baste the turkey when it is wrapped in bacon. The bacon meat soaks all the fat and smoky flavor during the roast, giving it a crispy texture. Serve the turkey with a cold salad or mashed potatoes, or pair it with a mild beer.
7. Cranberry Glazed Turkey
Combine two traditional Thanksgiving elements to prepare an irresistible dish for your guests. Add orange peels to boiling cranberry and sugar syrup for a citrusy flavor, and let the mixture chill at room temperature for a day. Use the thick glaze to cover the entire turkey during the roast. Garnish the turkey with orange slices and fresh cranberries on the plate.
8. Turkey with Whiskey
If you don’t have any kids coming over for the party, infusing some alcohol in your turkey dish would do no harm. Soak the bird in a whiskey brine before putting it into the oven. Choose a quality whiskey (bourbon or rye) for your dish. Combine chicken broth and whiskey with turkey fat at the end to prepare the gravy and enjoy the feast with your buddies.
9. Spiced Garlic Turkey Roulade
Cooking up a whole turkey can be a daunting task if you’re doing it for the first time or there aren’t a lot of eaters on the table. However, turkey roulades are equally acceptable delicacies on Thanksgiving Day, and they’re super easy to make.
Roll the turkey breasts with a sausage, egg, and veggie mix and roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember to add generous amounts of garlic cloves while preparing your vegetable mix. Serve these Turkey roulades with a thick gravy and mashed potatoes on the side.
10. Brined and Roasted Turkey
Brining your turkey is the best way to prepare for a delicious turkey feast on Thanksgiving. It is a process where the turkey is submerged in a seasoned mixture of salts and spices so that the flavors come together in the meat. The turkey is then pat-dried and readied for traditional roasting.
Turkey should be brined at least 24 hours before the roast. The best way to prepare a brine is by adding brown sugar, citrus fruits, rosemary, sage, black pepper, and salt in a bowl of water. You can try your own combination of fruits and flavors to get the desired taste. A well-brined turkey is moist and flavourful on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Cooking a turkey requires patience and knowledge of your ingredients. However, it is a fun process to enjoy from start to finish. You can experiment and try something different every year as long as your guests enjoy the dinner. Cooking your turkey perfectly and evenly from the inside out is more important.
The traditional setting of Thanksgiving has made way for a more modern, time-saving approach, but the turkey is still the star of the evening and will be the most talked about part of your dinner spread. So invest some time thinking about what your guests would like and prepare for the big day accordingly.
