Food
Turkey 101: Eight Of Our Best Recipes For A Perfect Bird From The Pages Of H&H
Updated on January 4, 2023


1. The Golden Butter-basted Turkey
According to Eric Vellend, the key to making this turkey is letting the turkey defrost to room temperature before you cook it, which will reduce roasting time and allow it to cook more evenly.
Get the recipe here.

2. Mustard & Za’atar Barbecued Turkey
Spice up your holiday meal with this recipe that uses za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend consisting of thyme, sumac, roasted sesame seeds, marjoram, oregano and salt.
Get Sarah Richardson’s recipe here.

3. Sugar and Spice Dry-brined Roast Turkey
This recipe may take a while, but it’s worth it. The turkey is dry-brined overnight with sugar, salt, orange zest, pepper, coriander, fennel seed and chilis, then brined again the next day for six more hours before roasting. The flavors can’t be beat!
Get Kristen Eppich’s recipe here.

4. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme-brined Roast Turkey
For a more classic turkey recipe, try this one from Laura Calder, which uses a variety of herbs to create a juicy bird with crispy skin. If you want it to be extra delicious, try an extra rub of butter before popping it in the oven.
Get Laura Calder’s recipe here.

5. Upside-down Roast Turkey
Roasting your bird upside-down results in juicy, tender white and dark meat. This recipe takes you through each step — and you use a handy roasting rack inside the pan to better contain the bird.
Get Kristen Eppich’s recipe here.

6. Perfectly Crisp Roast Turkey
Ask your butcher for a fresh (not frozen) free-range turkey to start this recipe off right. Baking powder in the brine mixture will give you a crispier skin, and if you use a V-rack over a baking sheet in the oven, air will circulate well for a more even roasting.
Get Eshun Mott’s recipe here.

7. A Golden Bird
Mayonnaise is the key to success for Mary Berg’s turkey recipe. It’s easier to spread than butter and creates an even more golden, crispy skin.
Get Mary Berg’s recipe here.

8. Turkey Meatballs
Want to try something different for the holidays this year? These meatballs from Laura Prepon’s The Stash Plan cookbook are a fresh take on turkey!
Get the recipe here.