We love turkey as much as any American, and have spent our share of Thanksgivings wrestling with the best way to master that monster of a bird — brining it, smoking it, deep frying it, roasting it smeared with butter. But to be honest, we’re usually not convinced that the end result is worth all that effort.
This year, we decided to give Thanksgiving a trial run and experiment with a no-brainer preparation that puts a turkey on the table without the stress and in just a little over an hour.
We asked the butcher to cut up a whole turkey into pieces, and roasted them until perfectly crisp, juicy and flavorful.
Here’s how:
First, preheat the oven to 375F. Rub the turkey pieces generously with olive oil or butter, season them all over with lots of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and put them on a heavy sheet pan.
Roast the turkey in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, then turn the heat up to 425F. Continue roasting the turkey pieces until they’re crispy on the outside, and reach an internal temperature of 165F in the thickest part of the thigh. Let them rest for about 10 minutes before carving into smaller pieces.
With the time you save you can concentrate on getting your (undoubtedly numerous) side dishes just right — and maybe even cook another meat dish, like a crown roast of pork, beef rib roast or rack of lamb.
Recipe: Roasted Turkey Pieces (Cookthink)
Recipe: Brussels Sprouts With Chanterelles, Tarragon And Cream (Cookthink)
Recipe: Roasted Beets With Orange Dressing (VeganYumYum)
Recipe: Curried Sweet Potatoes (Andrew Schloss)
Recipe: No-Knead Rolls (The Washington Post)
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REALLY good idea! We’re doing Thanksgiving with friends this year and making turkey breasts. Mom and dad will cook the whole turkey on the actual day
Never roasted a turkey in my life … and this totally makes sense for beginners like me!
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