Roast Turkey and Dressing
8 Comments
I told you it was the new year, come September around these parts. It's time to come inside and hunker down. And probably to get back to work.
OK, ugh to that last bit. I've been hunkered down way enough in the last few weeks. Since turning in the new book merely two weeks ago, I've already written forty-five weight watchers recipes, finished off a couple of articles for the dot com site, started working on a new book we're writing for Cooking Light, been in to New York for meetings, and cranked out a couple of proposals that books publishers have asked for. My head's spinning.
Is this the modern world? Working so much? Bruce and I haven't had a vacation without cell phones and lap tops in years. I work on most of those cruises we go on. I suppose it stands to reason. And I can't complain, given that so many people are hurting so very much right now. But really. That's one of the reasons I'm so looking forward to that Spain trip. (If you want to know more, check it out here.) I plan on being there without a cell phone or a lap top. The world go hang! Come along and watch me drink the country out of its sherry supply!
In the meantime, we're still starting off the new year around here with comfort foods--like this recipe. Don't you love those half, bone-in turkey breasts that now show up regularly in the supermarkets? It's like a holiday feast without the fandango of the whole bird. There aren't so many leftovers. And you can roast the thing right on top of the dressing, so that it all gets crispy, luscious, and wonderful. If that doesn't sell you on real food, nothin' will. It might even get me to put the Iphone down!
So here's the drill:
First, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F.
Rub a 3 1/2- to 4-pound bone-in half turkey breast with some olive oil, then sprinkle a little salt, freshly ground black pepper, and dried thyme over the thing. Rub this lightly into the meat and skin; set it all aside.
On to the dressing! You'll see Bruce made it in a large, 15-inch, cast-iron skillet. You could use a flame-safe roasting pan as well. Or even a shallow, large, oven casserole dish. A 9 x 13-inch baking dish might work, too, although the dressing's going to be a little thin in it. But with those last two, you'll need a separate skillet to cook the veggies.
You'll also need 4 cups stale bread cubes. The best advice is to plan ahead: chop the bread into cubes, then leave it out on the counter in a bowl for at least 24 hours, if not 48 hours. However, we didn't. Ha! So Bruce spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toasted them in the preheated oven for a little under 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, just to "stale-ify" them.
Melt a couple of tablespoons unsalted butter in that big cast-iron skillet--or in another skillet if you're using some other form of baking dish. Add 2 chopped, medium, yellow onions and 3 thinly sliced celery ribs. Cook these in the butter until the onion turns soft and a bit translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes, maybe a little more.
Scrape the contents of the skillet into a large bowl and set it aside for 5 minutes. Then stir in those stale bread cubes; 3/4 cup chopped fresh cranberries; 1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted chestnuts; one 9-ounce box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and gently squeezed to get rid of some of their excess moisture; 1/4 cup minced parsley leaves; 2 teaspoons dried thyme; 2 teaspoons dried sage; 1/2 teaspoon salt; and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
Whisk 2 large eggs in a small bowl until you can't see any of the white gunk floating in the yellow cream. Pour this into the dressing ingredients and stir well. This is why we didn't make the whole thing in that big skillet--because it would still be too hot and so scramble the eggs. Blech.
But now that you've got it ready, pour the dressing into that large skillet--or into a 15-inch round baking dish or even a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Set the turkey on top, skin side up. (Aka, the best part side up.)
Roast until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the turkey breast without touching bone registers 165F, about 2 hours. Timing here is a little lax. It will depend on how cold the meat was when it went into the oven, the bone-to-meat ratio in your particular bird, and even the heat retention of the baking dish. If you see that the bird is browning too deeply (there is such a thing?) or that the dressing is singeing at the edges, tent the whole kit and caboodle with foil for a bit--but roast it uncovered at the last to make sure it's nice and crispy.
Remove the skillet or baking dish from the oven, then transfer the turkey breast to a carving board and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so the juices run back between the squeezed meat fibers in the bird. Carve it at will, serving up spoonfuls of that luscious dressing on every plate.
Reader Comments (8)
You read my mind. I was complaining LAST NIGHT about the absence of Thanksgiving food in my life and how I may just have to start making it myself. (Being Canajun, eh, the holiday's coming up fast.) Especially since my mother in law is the only one who has a yearly dinner anymore and she serves canned gravy and bag-o-salad with her suppers. Why that awful garden salad is even there I don't know.
It is coming up fast, eh, doncha know? And those bone-in half turkey breasts are just the thing for us. I can't stand the boneless stuff--because I love the taste of the bone almost more than anything else. When I was a kid, we'd have these huge Sunday dinners at my grandparents', fried chicken piled high, and everyone would toss their bones back onto the plates in the center of the table. I'd wait and grab the bones one by one and gnaw off all the bits left. That was the best part of the whole thing for me.
M.
Ooohhh. Salty, greasy, wonderful bits. I lived in the South for a year, and I'm sorry, Mark, but the only thing I miss is the food.
Them's fightin' words. (And I've said so many good things about Canadians.)
M.
*laughs* It's because we have this international niceness camo. You get up here and find out people slam doors in your face, I'm telling you ;)
Oh, that looks delicious! We don't do Thanksgiving here in Australia (we have different things to give thanks for :)), so turkey has never been a big part of our diets. I have seen frozen turkey breasts at the supermarket, but have never known how to cook them. I'll watch out for them from now on, thank you! :)
PS. I was at a function over the weekend, and the dessert was supposed to be "Paris Brest". When it came out, it was tiny pissy little choux pastry rings filled with brown stuff. I wanted to complain, but Pete stopped me.. :)
As you--of all people--know, a real Paris Brest is a thing of beauty. It's impossible to turn it down. But pissy little pastries with brown stuff? Ick. That's disgusting.
M.
Ha! I said to Pete, "Mark and Bruce would NOT approve.." ;-)