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Gilded Fork High Heat Turkey
Chef: Mark Tafoya
Food Mood: Holiday
Cuisine: New American/Regional

Description
There are as many ways to roast a turkey as there are grandmothers to teach us their cooking secrets. Everyone seems to have their favorite method for turkey, and while we do not zealously advocate one over another, we are partial to the high-heat roasting method, which produces a crisp and brown exterior without cooking the bird so long it dries out. To ensure a moist bird, buy a kosher turkey, which has been salted to draw out the blood. Otherwise, use a brining technique to ensure a moist bird.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients
1 turkey, 8-12 lbs.
Salt (if not using the brining method)
4-5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 orange, cut into wedges

Method
Place a rack on the lowest level of the oven and preheat the oven to 425? F. Thoroughly dry the turkey with paper towels, and if you haven?t brined it, or you?re not using a kosher turkey, generously rub the body and interior cavities with salt, then brush with the melted butter. Place the chopped onions and orange wedges inside the cavity.

Place the turkey on one side, with the drumstick sticking up. If necessary, use onions or balls of aluminum foil to help keep the bird on its side. Roast it at 425? for 30 minutes, then remove and carefully turn on its other side. You can use bunched up paper towels to help you grasp the hot bird, and keep your potholders clean.

Baste the newly exposed side with the butter and pan drippings, then return to the oven and roast for 30 minutes more. Repeat this process so that the bird roasts on each side twice, for a total of 2 hours. Turn the bird with the breast facing up and baste once more, roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165? F.

[Chef?s Note: Food safety requires that the bird reach 165? F for a couple of minutes to be sure that any harmful bacteria is killed, but if you leave the turkey in the oven until it reaches this point, the carryover cooking time may take it well above this temperature, and dry out the breast meat. You can remove the bird when it has reached 155-160? F.

Important note! The pop-up timers that come with most turkeys will cook the meat to oblivion to ensure no one is going to file a lawsuit for an undercooked bird, resulting in cardboard-flavored turkey. Trust your instant-read thermometer above all!]

Remove the turkey from the oven, loosely tent with foil, and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. You can prepare your favorite gravy with the pan drippings.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Notes
[Chef?s Note: This method is great for achieving a nicely browned bird with a crisp skin and moist breast meat. You should use a relatively small bird, since it requires flipping the bird. Well, you know what we mean?

As much as we love stuffing, we generally don?t cook the stuffing inside the bird. In addition to the food safety concerns, it?s just too much trouble for us. We prefer to stuff the cavity with onions and orange wedges, which help to keep in moisture and flavor.]

Author: Mark Tafoya

Recipe source: Gilded Fork