Two-Hour Turkey

Roast your bird on a bed of aromatics moistened with a little water to prevent scorching, and you’ll have adequate drippings for making gravy.

But before roasting you need to prepare your turkey. And the steps we offer are actually very easy. Easier than you think.

Here’s an easy way to cook your turkey without, so to speak babysitting if for several hours.

How To Prepare A Two-Hour Turkey

Why not spatchcock your turkey. It’s not as inappropriate as it sounds. The term spatchcocking is a 17th century term essentially referring to butterflying your bird.

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You simply split a turkey open and flatten it by cutting out the backbone and pushing down on the bird until it splays open on a baking sheet.

Laying the turkey flat like this will ensure every part of the turkey cooks at the same rate, and yes the breasts and thighs will finish at the same time.

Butterflying a bird makes more surface area of the skin available for getting nice and crispy, and it speeds up the cooking time dramatically.

Not only do spatchcocked turkeys roast faster, they are also easier to coat with flavorful dry rub or just plain salt.

A flat turkey cooks more evenly as it can handle higher heat. As you know, with a whole turkey roasted the traditional way, you have to keep it at a low temperature, around 325 degrees to avoid overcooking and drying out the outermost layer.

But when the the bird is butterflied, you can crank up the heat, from between 425-450 degrees without any worry.

With a flat bird and more heat the cooking time drops dramatically.

Not only is the skin deliciously crispy, but the meat is very juicy. Also the roasting pan provides you a liquid that will give you a wonderful tasting gravy without any additional seasoning. Just put the liquid in a large skillet, bring to a boil and add some flour or cornstarch to thicken it. That simple.

Toss It Or Cook It

As for the backbone and neck and giblets found in the cavity of your turkey, you could toss them.

Instead, why not cook them in a pot of water with celery, carrots and your choice of herbs to make a turkey stock or broth. Use the broth later for other cooking applications, like making rice among other things.

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Two-Hour Turkey

1 12 to 14 pound turkey, neck and giblets discarded

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

3 medium celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick

2 large sprigs rosemary

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Butterflying Your Two-Hour Turkey

All you need to butterfly your turkey is a pair of poultry shears.

Place the turkey breast side down on a cutting board. Using your poultry shears, cut along one side of the backbone top to bottom. Repeat on the other side of the backbone then remove and discard, or as noted above reserve for making broth or stock.

Next, open up the sides of the bird, flattening it as much as possible. Sprinkle all over with 2 teaspoons salt, then flip the turkey breast up, making sure the sides are splayed out, not folded under.

Using the heel of your hand, press down firmly on the thickest part of the breast until the wishbone snaps. If desired, remove and discard the wing tips or tuck the wings to the back.

Sprinkle 1½ tablespoons salt evenly over the skin side of the turkey, then transfer skin side up to a rimmed baking sheet.

Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 2 hours or up to 18 hours.

One hour before roasting, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature. At the same time, preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the lowest position.

In a large roasting pan, toss the carrots, celery, onion and rosemary; distribute in an even layer. Transfer the turkey to the pan, placing it breast up on top of the vegetables.

Next, drizzle olive oil over the turkey, and using your hands or a brush, spread the oil so it fully coats the skin. Sprinkle lightly with black pepper.

When the turkey has stood at room temperature for 1 hour, add 1 cup fresh water to the pan – Note: Do not pour the water over the bird – place pan in the oven. Roast until an instant thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F, about 1¾ hours for a 12-pound bird or about 2 hours for a 14-pound.

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Remove from the oven and let the turkey rest in the roasting pan for at least 20 minutes.

When ready to carve, transfer to a cutting board. If desired, strain contents of the roasting pan and use the drippings to make gravy.

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Suggested Side Dishes For Your Two Hour Turkey

• Milk-Simmered Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Charred Sweet Potatoes
• Sautéd Blood Orange Slices with Homemade Cranberry Sauce
• Southern Style Garlic Green Beans with Bacon

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• Roasted Sweet Potatoes And Chickpeas with Feta, Pomegranate And Maple Tahini