With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it was time to experiment with some turkey recipes. Some years I have a house full of people and often cook two big birds, but other times it’s just a small group and cooking a huge turkey just seems to be too time consuming.
Roasting a turkey breast is a great solution for small gatherings and it makes a great dinner any time of year – not just at Thanksgiving! Most of the “experts” (Alton Brown, Emeril, Cooks Illustrated, etc.) recommend brining in a saltwater solution to season the meat and keep it moist, juicy and succulent and though it does add to the prep time, it’s really worth it.
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon minced sage leaves
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 whole natural turkey breast (6 to 7 pounds), bone-in and skin-on, trimmed of excess fat and patted dry with paper towels (If using a kosher turkey breast – soaked in salt water during processing or self-basting turkey breast – injected with salt and water – do not brine)
1 cup water or dry white wine
Brine the Turkey Breast
1. Dissolve 1/2 cup of table salt (or 3/4 cup of kosher salt) in 4 quarts of cold water in a large container; submerge the turkey breast in brine, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for three to six hours. (Do not brine the turkey breast any longer, or it will be too salty.) Rinse the turkey breast under cold water and dry it thoroughly with paper towels.
Roasting the Turkey
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F. Mix butter, garlic, minced herbs, lemon zest, and pepper in medium bowl with rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Rub the mixture evenly all over turkey breast. You can also carefully separate turkey skin (avoid breaking skin) from meat over breast and rub butter mixture directly on meat.
2. Spray V-rack with nonstick cooking spray and set inside large roasting pan. Place turkey in rack with skin side facing up; pour water or wine into roasting pan.
3. Roast turkey for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to roast turkey until thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour longer.
4. To ensure that the juices in the meat have time to redistribute, let the roasted turkey breast rest, covered loosely with foil, for 20 minutes before attempting to carve it. Skipping this step will result in a flood of turkey juices on your carving board.
5. Slice and serve turkey with pan juices or make a pan gravy.
James Moore has been a cooking enthusiast since childhood and started blogging as a way to share favorite recipes with friends and family. His site, Cook Like James has grown to include restaurants, cookbooks, wines, and favorite places.