The Barefoot Contessa's turkey
“Why do we only serve turkey on Thanksgiving?” asks Ina (“The Barefoot Contessa”) Garten in her new book, “How Easy Is That?” (Clarkson Potter). Why indeed?
Most of us think it's just too much work. When we think “turkey,” we think “Thanksgiving dinner.” But we should think again: It's the gravy, stuffing, sides and pies that are all the work at Thanksgiving (not to mention cleaning the house and setting the table).
The turkey itself is a relative snap. Try it some time, without the holiday falderal: Stuff the cavity with some savory ingredients (onion, lemon, garlic, celery, bay leaf, peppercorns, whatever), rub the skin with olive oil, salt and pepper, and chuck it into the oven. Baste occasionally, if you think of it. There's almost nothing standing between you and a weeknight dinner of turkey. Nothing, that is, except time.
Enter the turkey breast. Garten's recipe for herbed roast turkey breast cooks in fewer than two hours. And instead of leaving you with an eternity of leftovers, it provides just enough to take turkey sandwiches to work the next day.
A roast turkey breast is a great thing to cook when you have weekday company. It can also star at your holiday table if you are having a relatively small gathering, or if you are stocking a buffet and want to offer other choices, like ham or roast beef.
When it comes to roasting poultry, Garten is a cook after my own heart. She eschews the high-heat roasting methods made popular a few years ago and advocates roasting in a relatively low 325-degree oven, which makes for moist, tender meat.
Serve this turkey breast with Garten's celery-root puree (which can easily be made a day ahead of time), a simple salad or some steamed green beans. Baked apples would make a perfect, no-fuss dessert.
You'll be saying, “How easy is that?” Your guests? They'll just gobble, gobble.
Ÿ Marialisa Calta is the author of “Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family” (2005 Perigee). More at marialisacalta.com.