Herbed Turkey Roast

2013-04-03
  • Servings : 3-4
  • Prep Time : 5m
  • Cook Time : 60m
  • Ready In : 4:20 h

‘Turkey is the most delicious meat ever’ says my 7 year old. So of course, we can’t  ever wait till Christmas for it.

So the other day, when I went into the supermarket and saw a nice large turkey breast, I bought it. Of course, as usual, I had not had the meal planned out as some of my more efficient friends do.  I am an impulsive cook, so whatever attracts me is bought. Then comes the job of figuring out what to do with it!

And by now, if you have me figured out, you would realise that I like to dabble in lots of things. I do try and grow a few things in my garden, the brilliant British weather permitting. The one thing that has stood the test of time, sun and snow is my beautiful Rosemary plant. It does get tortured and trimmed now and again when I am in the mood for some herby meals.

Today, I thought that some green was in order. I didn’t have any green vegetables to stir fry with the turkey, so a bunch load of herbs would have to do.

This turkey marinated in herbs and roasted with wine tasted terrific. Do try it.. its quite simple.

Ingredients

  • Turkey breast with skin- 900gm - 1 kg
  • MARINADE:
  • Tarragon dry- 1 tbsp ( optional fresh)
  • Thyme dry- 1 tbsp ( optional fresh)
  • Sweet smoked paprika- 1/2 tsp
  • Rosemary chopped- 2 tbsp fresh
  • Dijon mustard-1 tbsp
  • Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
  • Pepper- 1/2 tsp
  • Olive oil- 2 tbsp

Method

1. Chop the herbs and mix well.

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2. Mix up all the ingredients for marinade and spread in a thick layer under and over the skin. I like to leave the skin attached in certain places and make a kind of tent and slip the marinade under. This ensures that the marinade and seasoning permeates into every part of the turkey and does not just stay on top of the skin.

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Many a time, if the piece is very big, it does cook but there is absolutely no taste right in the centre. I just hate that. To make the turkey breast even more tasty, make deep incisions on the underside and spread some marinade through the incisions.  Problem sorted!

3. Leave the turkey breast to rest for at least a couple of hours before roasting in a hot oven. I marinated it for 5 hours.

4.  Preheat the oven to 180C for 5 minutes.

5. Pour 1 cup of wine of your choice, either white or red at the bottom of the roasting tray.

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6. Put the marinated turkey on a rack in a roasting tray with the skin side up. This helps the skin crisp up while roasting.

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7.  Now, cover the turkey breast with some aluminium foil and cook for 30 minutes.

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8. After 30 minutes, remove the cover and roast for a further 30 minutes at the same temperature.

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9. I found that most of the wine had evaporated, so I added 1/2 cup  water to the bottom of the tray. The liquids, the wine or the water, create enough steam to keep the turkey really really moist. Without liquids, most of the time one ends up with very dry roasts, but this addition of liquids will certainly ensure that the roast is very moist.

10. It is a good idea to insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat to check if the temperature is about 72-75C to ensure that is is completely cooked.

11.When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

12. Pour the gravy that has collected at the bottom of the roasting tray into a tray and season with some salt and pepper as a sauce to serve with the turkey. You can aways boil it further and add a spoonful of flour if you like to make it thicker, but that is not essential.

13. Slice the turkey and spoon the sauce over it before serving.

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14. Serve with salad, garlic bread, chips.. the works.

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