Talking Turkey

By Anne Schlafly Cori

My mother, Phyllis Schlafly, taught me many things about life, politics, and religion. One very important lesson was how to cook turkey: upside-down! It’s brilliant; Phyllis used the law of gravity to ensure that the breast meat is tender and juicy.

Here are the Schlafly family secrets to the best-tasting turkey:

Bring the turkey to room temperature before cooking, which usually takes 8-12 hours, depending on the size of the bird. The longest part of the cooking time is for the center of the meat to go from 40 degrees F (refrigerator temperature) to 70 degrees F (room temperature). If that time is spent in a hot oven, then the turkey breast will dry out.
Stuff the turkey cavities, then smear softened butter underneath the skin of the breast meat, and generously sprinkle the outside of the turkey with salt, pepper, and paprika for color.
Place the turkey breast-side down on a V-shape roasting rack set in a roasting pan. Roast the turkey in a preheated 425-degree oven for one hour, or until the back of the bird is golden brown.
Take the pan out of the oven, and (using silicone gloves) flip the bird breast-side up and return to the oven. Turn down the oven to 325 degrees. A 20-pound turkey is usually done 1 ½ hours later. Check with a meat thermometer in the center of the breast meat and remove the turkey when the temperature is 150 degrees F.
Let the bird rest, uncut and uncovered, for one hour. Resting ensures that the juices retract back into the meat and the bird is much easier to carve after resting. The turkey will still be hot, even two hours after roasting.

My mother loved turkey soup, made from the turkey carcass. To make stock, strip all the meat off the bones as it is much easier to separate before the turkey is refrigerated. Place the bones in a large pot with onion, celery, and carrot. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 6-8 hours. Strain. Refrigerate the liquid and then remove the cold fat from the top of the stock. Turkey stock lasts for one week in the refrigerator or one year in the freezer.

Phyllis’s favorite turkey stuffing, Wild Rice Dressing recipe, is in her cookbook, Faithfully, Phyllis. Also in the cookbook is her sumptuous Pumpkin Chiffon Pie recipe. Buy this cookbook for great family recipes!

Happy Thanksgiving!