Best 6 Moscow Turkey Recipes

EASY, NO FUSS THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. I like to give myself 1 extra day, just to be safe.
• Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.
• Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You'll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)
• Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
• Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
• Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
• Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.
• Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn't need to be completely melted--just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.
• Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees.
• (I remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees. Then, I tent it with foil, and let it rest on the counter. It will continue cooking under the foil, to reach 165 degrees F.)
• ***Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.
• Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/how-to-carve-a-turkey/
• Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.

THANKSGIVING MULES

Steps:

• Put the dried cranberries in a small bowl and add enough simple syrup to cover. Let soak until slightly softened, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, chill 4 copper mule mugs in the freezer.
• For each drink, combine 1 1/2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce each orange juice and cranberry juice and 1/2 ounce simple syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with large ice cubes and shake vigorously. Add 1 ounce ginger beer, seal the shaker again and gently twist the shaker back and forth once (this will combine the drink without making the ginger beer go flat). Strain into a chilled copper mule mug and fill with fresh ice. Garnish with a few of the soaked cranberries.

TURKEY

Steps:

• The day before roasting, rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water, set on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Sprinkle the turkey inside and out with the salt. Wrap the turkey in plastic wrap and refrigerate, about 24 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours prior to roasting to bring to room temperature.
• Place an oven rack on the lowest rung and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place a few sprigs of the oregano and thyme, a few cloves of the garlic and a quarter of the lemon in the turkey's neck cavity. Wrap the neck skin over and around the cavity to enclose the ingredients. Place half of the remaining oregano, half of the remaining thyme, half of the remaining garlic, 2 lemon quarters, half of the fennel, half of the onion and all the fennel fronds in the turkey's body cavity. Place the turkey, breast-side-up, on a rack set into a large roasting pan. Fold the wings and tuck the tips underneath the turkey.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and then let cool.
• Fill a pot with the stock. Add the remaining oregano, thyme, garlic, 1 quarter lemon, fennel and onions to the pot. Bring the stock mixture to a boil, reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers and continue to cook at a low simmer, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Soak a double layer of cheesecloth big enough to cover the turkey in the cooled butter and drape over the breast and legs of the turkey. Pour the stock mixture over the bird, pushing the pieces of vegetable and herbs into the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the reserved neck and gizzards to the bottom of the roasting pan.
• Place the turkey in the oven and roast, about 45 minutes. (There will be the distinct possibility of smoke depending on how clean your oven is). Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F, and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a thigh registers 160 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes (removing the cheesecloth for the final 10 minutes to brown, if needed). Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest before carving, about 20 minutes.

SLOW COOKER MOSCOW CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until well browned on both sides. Allow chicken to cool slightly.
• Wrap each thigh in a piece of bacon, and place in slow cooker. Sprinkle garlic and ginger over the chicken; top with Russian dressing. Cook on Low heat for 5 to 6 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

PERFECTLY MOIST AND TENDER TURKEY

Steps:

• Allow turkey to stand at room temperature for about an hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in lower third of oven.
• Use a serrated knife to cut off top of bread to create a flat surface, if necessary. Cut bread lengthwise, without cutting all the way through. Open bread like a book. Evenly spread butter over cut-side of bread. Place bread, buttered side up, in large, heavy-duty roasting pan.
• Liberally season turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Truss legs together using kitchen twine, and tuck wing tips under the breast. Place turkey, breast side down, on buttered bread. Place in oven, legs first if possible, and roast for 45 minutes. (If it's not possible to position turkey in oven legs first, rotate roasting pan halfway through cooking time.) Remove turkey from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.
• Using a wooden spoon and side towels, carefully turn turkey so it's breast side up. Place in oven, breast side first if possible, and continue roasting, turning and basting with pan juices every 15 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding bone) reaches 165 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours more. (If it's not possible to position turkey in oven breast side first, rotate roasting pan halfway through cooking time.) Let turkey rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

SIMPLE ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove any giblets from the cavity and reserve for stock or gravy. Pat turkey and turkey neck dry with paper towel; rub turkey all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt per pound of turkey, the pepper and the lemon zest, including the neck. Transfer to a 2-gallon (or larger) resealable plastic bag. Tuck herbs and 6 garlic cloves inside bag. Seal and refrigerate on a small rimmed baking sheet (or wrapped in another bag) for at least 1 day and up to 3 days, turning the bird over every day (or after 12 hours if brining for only 1 day).
• Remove turkey from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, uncovered, back on the baking sheet. Return to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours to dry out the skin (this helps crisp it).
• When you are ready to cook the turkey, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for one hour.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. In the bottom of a large roasting pan, add the cider and enough wine to fill the pan to a 1/4-inch depth. Add half the onions, the remaining 6 garlic cloves and the bay leaves. Stuff the remaining onion quarters and the lemon quarters into the turkey cavity. Brush the turkey skin generously with oil or melted butter.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack set inside the roasting pan. Transfer pan to the oven and roast 30 minutes. Cover breast with aluminum foil. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reaches a temperature of 165 degrees, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Transfer turkey to a cutting board to rest for 30 minutes before carving.