11/23/09

9 Herbed Roasted Turkey Breast: Step by Step

Last year, I did a post on Ina Garten's Herbed Roasted Turkey Breast.  Her recipe is SO good, I've made it several times.  Each time, I get the "oohs" and "mmmms" from the guests which tell me it is a definite winner!

This is such an easy, simple recipe.  You will not be disappointed!

The recipe starts with cloves of garlic.

I keep these double bagged in my freezer.

The frozen garlic is so easy to peel and I absolutely love my garlic press. Easy to use AND clean!

I like a finely minced garlic and this lovely tool does the job for me.

Add dry mustard. This Pampered Chef measuring spoon makes it easy to fit into a small spice jar.

The recipe calls for fresh rosemary leaves.

If you don't have any, don't worry.

Just find some dried rosemary and use half.

Update: Did you know you can freeze rosemary and other herbs? 

The recipe calls for chopped fresh sage leaves.

Sage is going to be my next plant in my herb garden next year.

Use half of what the recipe calls for when using the powdered stuff ~


Thyme.

I have fresh thyme that is in the freezer.

I didn't have time to get it out...

Next time....

Ina uses Kosher salt in her recipe.

I'm not sure what that is...

I'm from Utah, and I like the Real Sea salt...

this has a sweeter, less bitter taste than table salt.



Fresh ground pepper.

Finally, a fresh ingredient...



Good olive oil.

Extra virgin is what I used.

I'm sure you can use whatever oil you want to use.

Olive oil has a flavor all its own.

Fresh squeezed lemon juice....

Not really...it was the bottled stuff.

Next time, I will invest in real lemons ~

Stir it all together.

Take a deep whiff.....  You will love the aroma!

Here is my 8 pound turkey breast.

Plenty of white meat to go around!

*sigh*

I have this aversion to handling raw meat.

And meat with bones.

Wash, pat it dry, and put it in a roasting pan.


Ina likes to stick her hands under the skin to put the seasonings in. 

I have found that a small dinner spoon to do just the trick.

You want to separate the skin from the ... uh ... meat.

Leave the skin intact near the bottom of the turkey...

you don't want the seasonings to drip out~



After you have separated the skin, spoon half of the seasoning mixture between the two sides of the breast.

It's worth it, it's worth it, I keep telling myself...

Let me introduce you to another favorite tool of mine.

The silicone pastry brush.

He gets to spread the other half of the seasoning on the outside of the turkey.

I love you, Mr. Silicone brush...


If you have an oven probe, use it~  it takes all the guesswork out of cooking the turkey.

Every turkey breast has a different weight and you do NOT want to overcook it.

If you don't have a probe, invest in an instant read thermometer.  You can get one for around $25. 

Worth every penny!


Here's the last ingredient.

White cooking wine. 

It's all about flavor.

And not drying out the poor thing...


Pop that turkey in the oven at 325 degrees and set your probe temp to 165°F, if you have one.

At 2 hours, the turkey was beginning to brown, so I put aluminum foil over it.

At 2 1/2 hours, it was done!


The turkey package said 3 1/2 hours...go figure. I trust my thermometer!


After taking it out of the oven, put a large piece of foil over it and let it sit for at least 20 minutes to allow all the juices to redistribute throughout.

My guests arrived 45 minutes later, and the turkey was still hot.

Slice just before serving and enjoy the best piece of turkey you have ever had!

Print Friendly and PDF

Herb Roasted Turkey
from the Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 1/2 to 7 pounds
1 T. minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 t. dry mustard
1 T. chopped fresh rosemary leaves (I only had dried)
1 T. chopped fresh sage leaves (I only had powdered; used 1/2T.)
1 t. chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly ground pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 c. dry white wine (I used Fre alcohol removed white wine)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste. (it was runny, but worked just fine) Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half the paste directly on the meat. (A small spoon worked better than using my fingers) Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast turkey for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast. Test in several places. If the skin is over browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with pan juices spooned over the turkey.

9 comments:

  1. I just bought the same brand turkey breast yesterday! I think it is not coincidence that I am reading this post. I'm planning to do a turkey breast this weekend! This looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This turkey sounds so juicy and delicious! We always need to make an extra breast around here, too...I'm saving this one to try! Hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't mean to laugh at your meat/bone handling aversion, but I had to chuckle because you really did a great job of conveying your discomfort in your post. Good job at working through it and taking one for the team! That's a fantastic looking turkey breast Frieda.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This looks great Frieda! I bought a few turkey breasts the last time they were on a great sale. I will definatly try this recipe. Mine needs a little upgrading. Also, I didn't know you could freeze garlic! You are full of good info! Thanks for the great post and have a Happy Thanksgiving. Hope your primary program went well.
    -Jamie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Truly yummy! Thank you for sharing. Yum.

    Lauriann

    ReplyDelete
  6. This does look fantastic! I too despise touching raw meat, but for turkey, which comes around only once a year at my house, I'll gladly roll up my sleeves (cringing only once in awhile.) With Ina's recipes, it's hard to go wrong. I'll bet her maple baked beans would be great with this turkey breast.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This looks so amazing!! And I love the garlic tip - I've never thought to freeze my garlic, and I'm totally going to try that! Thanks so much for linking up to Taste and Tell Thursdays.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Did you prepare your turkey the night before or right before cooking?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I did this just before cooking. We eat around 1 PM, so I prepared my turkey in the morning. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Pin It button on image hover