I had every intention of roasting a whole bird for our pre-Thanksigiving Day feast (yes, for a mere two meat eaters…), but apparently the grocery stores we frequent in NYC weren’t going to carry fresh turkeys until a week later.
Excuse me. This is supposedly the greatest city in the world. What gives? I called multiple Fairways, Whole Foods, and a few local gourmet grocery stores. Nothing was available.
We ended up with a large turkey breast. That’ll do.
This is actually a really good option for small families. It’s less expensive than a whole bird and takes a shorter amount of time to prepare and cook.
Yes, but how does it taste?
Thanks to this butter rub – fantastic.
I’ve said it a hundred times: sage is my favorite herb. As soon as I came across this recipe, I knew it was fate. Any turkey of mine was destined for a sage-honey butter rub down.
Oh yes. I just went there.
Directions
Preheat an oven to 375 F, then season the bird generously on all sides with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl combine all of the sage-honey butter ingredients. Place half of the mixture on the turkey and massage it in. Make sure to get some under the skin, too!
Pop your bird in the oven and roast for 2 hours. Place remaining half of butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat until melted. Use this to baste the bird every 20 minutes or so. When the skin has browned to your liking, cover the turkey with aluminum foil and return to the oven to continue cooking.
The turkey is done when a meat thermometer reads 165 F (or a little less — the meat will continue to cook some after you remove it from the oven).
*Note: A general rule-of-thumb for cooking turkey is 20 minutes per pound. The time will vary depending on the size of your bird, the temperature of your oven, etc. If you use a meat thermometer and check after 1 1/2 – 2 hours, you’ll have a good idea of how much longer the turkey needs to cook.
Hello, gorgeous.
And look at those pan drippings! I could drink that from a cup.
Also, this is totally allowed:
A chef’s gotta taste her food before serving it, right?
Simple food never tasted so good.
Roasted Turkey Breast with Sage-Honey Butter
*Sage-honey butter recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Recipes (2011 issue).
Yields: 6-8 servings
Time: 5 minutes prep, 1 1/2 – 2 hrs cooking
Ingredients
For the turkey:
- 1 turkey breast (I used a 4 lb turkey breast, but any size will do)
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
For the sage-honey butter:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tbsp snipped sage
- 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
- 1 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the turkey: Preheat an oven to 375 F. Generously season all sides of the bird with salt and pepper.
- For the sage-honey butter: In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Divide mixture in half; rub half under turkey skin and on top of bird.
- Place remaining half of mixture in a microwave-safe bowl; cover. Microwave until melted. Use to baste turkey.
- Roast turkey for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Check turkey and baste every 20-30 minutes. When skin has browned, cover with aluminum foil and return to oven to continue cooking.
*Note: A general rule-of-thumb for cooking turkey is 20 minutes per pound. The time will vary depending on the size of your bird, the temperature of your oven, etc. If you use a meat thermometer and check after 1 1/2 – 2 hours, you’ll have a good idea of how much longer the turkey needs to cook.
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