Top Turkey Recipes

Best Star Turkey

Alicia Keys and Mom Terria Joseph's Turkey in a Bag

Ingredients:
amp#149; 1 12–14 lb. turkey
amp#149; y cup white vinegar
amp#149; 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
amp#149; 2 tbsp softened unsalted butter
amp#149; 2 tbsp garlic powder
amp#149; 2 tsp paprika
amp#149; 2 tsp salt
amp#149; u tsp pepper
amp#149; u tsp dried basil
amp#149; 4 sprigs rosemary
amp#149; 4 bay leaves
amp#149; 4 Granny Smith apples, cored and roughly chopped
amp#149; 2 onions, coarsely chopped
amp#149; 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Other Materials:
A large roasting pan, a meat thermometer, and a turkey-size oven bag (available in the paper-goods section of the supermarket).

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. 2 Remove neck and giblets. 3 Rinse turkey with cold water inside and out, then rub with vinegar. Pat dry with paper towels. 4 Rub skin with garlic cloves, then butter. 5 In a bowl, mix garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and basil. Rub half of spice mix under skin, on breast and back. Tuck two sprigs of rosemary and one bay leaf under breast skin and two rosemary sprigs under back. Rub outside skin with remaining spice mix. 6 Stuff turkey with two chopped apples, one chopped onion, and three bay leaves. 7 Rub inside of oven bag with flour to prevent bag from bursting. 8 Add some of remaining chopped onions and apples to oven bag and leave some in the roasting pan, outside of bag, to use as garnish later. 9 Place turkey, breast side up, on onions and apples in oven bag. Cut six y-inch slits into bag to allow steam to escape. Tie bag closed with provided tie or butcher's string. Place bag into roasting pan. 10 Cook in oven for 2y–3 hours. Pierce bag with meat thermometer, and poke into thickest part of inner thigh. The turkey is ready when it reaches 180°F. 11 Cut open top of bag, and carefully remove turkey. Discard vegetables. Place turkey on serving dish and let rest for 20 minutes. Garnish with roasted apples and onions. Serves 8

Best Guy-Friendly Turkey

Tyler Florence's Roast Turkey with Cornbread-Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (9 oz.) dried mission figs, trimmed
3 cups hot water
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
½ lb. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed and crumbled
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp chopped rosemary
4 large store-bought cornbread muffins, crumbled (about 5 cups)
½ cup chicken broth
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
1 turkey (13-15 lb.)
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup balsamic vinegar
8 tbsp (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
1 In medium bowl combine figs, hot water, honey and lemon juice. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; set aside for 1 hour. 2 Position oven rack in lowest third of oven. Heat oven to 400°F. 3 Meanwhile heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute sausage, onions and rosemary until sausage is cooked through and onion is tender, about 6-8 min. 4 Drain figs, reserving liquid, and coarsely chop. 5 In large bowl toss sausage mixture with figs and corn muffins. In small bowl whisk together chicken broth and egg; toss with stuffing. Season with salt and pepper. 6 Gently loosen skin around turkey breast, thigh and legs, and spread softened butter underneath. Season cavity with salt and pepper, and fill loosely with stuffing. With butcher's string tie legs together. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. 7 Roast in roasting pan for 20 min., then lower temperature to 350°F. 8 Meanwhile, in saucepan heat reserved fig liquid; boil until reduced to 2 cups. Add vinegar; continue boiling until mixture is syrupy. Swirl in cold butter, stuffing until it has melted and mixture is shiny and thick. 9 Roast turkey for 2 ½ - 3 hours or until instant-read thermometer registers 175°F. During last 20 minutes of roasting, baste turkey with half the glaze. When done, remove pan from oven and baste turkey with remaining glaze. Let stand 30 min. before carving. Serves 8-10.

Best Southern-Inspired Turkey

Katie Lee's Herb-Roasted Turkey with Maple-Orange Glaze

Ingredients:
amp#149; 1 fresh turkey (12–14 lb.), rinsed and patted dry
amp#149; 3 tsp kosher salt
amp#149; 1y tsp freshly ground black pepper
amp#149; 11 tbsp Herb Butter (see p. 340)
amp#149; 3 cups Spicy Cornbread Stuffing (see p. 340)
amp#149;¾ cup maple syrup
amp#149;u cup chicken stock
amp#149;u cup orange juice
amp#149;1 bay leaf

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. 2 Remove neck, giblets and gizzards from cavity and reserve for gravy, if desired. Season turkey with salt and pepper all over skin and inside cavity. Using fingers, gently lift skin and rub Herb Butter underneath. Stuff turkey with about a third of refrigerated Spicy Cornbread Stuffing mixture. Truss turkey, place onto a rack in a large roasting pan, and cook in oven for 3 to 3y hours. 3 Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, combine maple syrup, chicken stock, orange juice and bay leaf. Bring to a very low simmer and remove from heat. Baste turkey every 30 minutes with maple-syrup mixture. 4 Turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reads 170°F and juices run clear. If breasts or legs look as if they are cooking too rapidly, tent with foil. 5 Remove turkey from oven and tent with foil. Let rest 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, carve and serve. Serves 8.

Best Turkey Alternative

Jessica Alba and Mom Cathy Alba's Cornish Game Hens

Ingredients:
* ½ cup unsalted butter
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 cup chopped celery
* 1 cup chopped white mushrooms
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 tsp poultry seasoning
* 6 slices day-old white bread, cubed
* 1 cup cooked wild rice
* ½ cup each dried cranberries, dark raisins, chopped walnuts
* 2½ cups chicken broth, divided
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 4 Cornish hens (about 1¼ lb. each)
* 1½ cups apricot-flavored brandy
* 2 sprigs each rosemary, sage and basil
* 1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained

Directions:
1 Preheat over to 375°F. 2 In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic and poultry seasoning. Cook until vegetables have softened, about 8 minutes. 3 In large bowl, combine bread, rice, cranberries, raisins and walnuts. Stir in vegetable mixture. Add 1 cup broth and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 2 cups mixture for stuffing hens. 4 Lightly grease 9"x9" baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into dish. Cover with foil; bake 30 minutes. 5 Meanwhile, in measuring cup, combine remaining broth and brandy. Set aside. 6 Discard neck and giblets; season hen cavities with salt and pepper. Stuff each with ½ cup stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Arrange breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. Pour in half of brandy mixture; scatter herbs and oranges around poultry. Roast for 30 minutes basting occasionally. 7 Pour 1 cup brandy mixture into roasting pan. Continue roasting 15 to 20 minutes, or until thermometer inserted in hens registers 175°F. 8 Transfer to cutting board; let stand 10 minutes. Remove rack from pan and pour in remaining ½ cup brandy mixture. 9 Deglaze pan over high heat, scraping up brown bits. Toss herbs. Transfer liquid to saucepan and bring to boil until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 8.

Best Vegetarian Alternative

Lea Michele and Mom Edith Sarfati's Vegetable Lasagne Roll-Ups

Ingredients:
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 large bunch broccoli, stems removed, finely chopped
* 1 16 oz. bag baby carrots, chopped
* 1 16 oz. box lasagne noodles
* 1 32 oz. container ricotta cheese (for vegan option, use 24 oz. extra-firm tofu)
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 1 tsp oregano
* 1 tsp basil
* Salt to taste
* ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (for vegan option use ground sesame seeds)
* 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (for vegan option use sliced mozzarella-style rice cheese)
* 2 24 oz. jars tomato sauce (reserve half for final topping)

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. 2 In large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté chopped broccoli and carrots until tender, about 7 minutes. 3 Place in large bowl and refrigerate until cool. 4 Cook noodles, drain, and lay flat until cool. 5 Mix ricotta with garlic powder, oregano, basil, and salt to taste. 6 Add ricotta mixture, Parmesan, and mozzarella to bowl of broccoli and carrots; mix well with spoon. 7 Using a spatula, spread ½ cup filling onto length of each lasagna noodle, leaving ½ inch at each end so roll-ups don't overflow; roll each one tightly. 8 Spread half of tomato sauce on bottom of deep baking pan; place roll-ups seam side down. 9 Cook in oven for 45 minutes. 10 Remove and top with remaining tomato sauce; cook for 15 more minutes. Serves 6-8.

Best Leftover Turkey Recipe

Trainer Jason Walsh's Healthy Turkey Chili (Jessica Biel is a fan!)

Ingredients:
amp#149; 1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
amp#149; 2 tbsp chili spice
amp#149; ¾ cup water
amp#149; 1 can (15 oz.) organic baked beans
amp#149; 1 can (20 oz.) diced, peeled, no-salt plum tomatoes
amp#149; 1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans
amp#149; 1 can (15 oz.) marinara sauce

Directions:
1 Saute meat in pan until brown. 2 Drain excess juices and add water and chili spice. 3 Simmer 5–10 minutes. 4 Mix remaining ingredients in separate saucepan and add sauteed meat. 5 Simmer over medium heat for 15–20 minutes.