1. Cajun-Spiced Turkey
If you’re feeling bold and spicy this Thanksgiving, take a cue from New Orleans cuisine. Coat your bird with a blend of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and other Cajun spices straight from the bayou. It’s hot, sweet, tangy, and packs a wide range of flavors that will make you want to flap your wings with joy. Stuffing and mashed potatoes won’t cut it for a turkey like this--you’re best serving it up with a side of jambalaya.
2. Golden-Glazed Turkey
The hardest part about preparing your Thanksgiving meal is finding enough time. Cooking the sides, veggies, and turkey is a lengthy, methodical process. The other inhibitor is oven space--it’s hard to find the room to cook all this food at once. Luckily, we’ve figured out how to bake the bird and your sides at once without overloading your oven. The key is proper timing and using the right roasting pan. This golden-glazed turkey is covered in butter, soy sauce, and Worcestershire, and the roasting pan is filled with rosemary, pears, sage, beets, potatoes, and carrots for a full spread of fall flavors. You might not need any gravy, but it’s still recommended.
3. Fried Turkey
Everything is better fried--that’s not up for debate. If you’re cooking for your relatives from the south, you’ll want to break out the fryer for this crunchy take on a Thanksgiving bird. It’s filled with quintessential southern comfort--doused in a rub of smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and served with grilled peaches on the side. The turkey is moist, the skin is crispy, and the flavor is unmatched. This fried turkey might become your new Thanksgiving staple.
4. Sage & Orange Roast Turkey
You might be thinking the citrus flavors are best left for the winter season, but you may want to think again. This sage and orange roast turkey brings out every flavor of fall with each bite. The oranges create great acidity to pair with the savory notes, the sage brings out the fresh, earthy flavors, and roasted carrots, garlic, and onions make for an exceptional pairing to coincide with this turkey dinner. Get the gravy and cranberry sauce ready and your feast will be complete.
5. Turkey Roulade
If you’re looking to prepare Turkey Day cuisine that’s a little out of left field, we’ve got the dish for you. The same roasted bird becomes stale and exhausted year after year--a new technique is what you need to bring the gobble back to your Thanksgiving table. Choose a filling of fennel and apple, bacon and mushroom, or sausage and cornbread to roll up inside your turkey. The best part is, the cooking time is only 90 minutes. They can be sliced up thin but are packed with holiday flavor. They’re a fun and unique spin on this staple dish that can be served up as an appetizer or an entrée. They taste just as good as a leftover, so you’ll be enjoying your roulade all season long.
6. Herb & Lemon Stuffed Turkey
With all the rich, savory flavors of fall, sometimes it’s nice to enjoy some lighter notes in your holiday cooking. Gentle herbs like parsley, sage, and rosemary are introduced to lemon for a fresh and earthy take on your Thanksgiving tradition. The lemon adds acidity to balance out the deep flavor of the turkey, and the herbs help bring a heavenly aroma and herbaceous flavor to the juicy, lemony, bird.
7. Red Chile & Orange Glaze Turkey
If you want to give your Thanksgiving feast a spicy kick, then take a page from these New Mexico flavors with this red chile and orange-glazed turkey. This spicy-meets-sweet glaze is all you need to send your taste buds on a journey. If pilgrims were eating turkey like this at Plymouth Rock, they wouldn’t have been doing much sharing. This zesty glaze is a hot, tangy, and sweet all-in-one. Your ladle of gravy is going to feel left out because when your turkey has this much kick, poor old gravy is no longer needed.
8. Pear-Thyme Brined Turkey
One of the best fall flavors comes from pears. They are great in sweet treats or sautéed in a hot pan to go with a savory dish. With this pear-thyme brined turkey, you won’t be able to escape the natural sweetness of this juicy fruit. Included in the brine is a touch of pear nectar, there are slices of pear in the turkey, and if that’s not enough--you can whip up a pear-thyme gravy. Make sure to choose a fresh, unbrined turkey for this recipe. Some turkey varieties are injected with a salt solution that will make this dish too salty and offset the sweet notes of the fruit.
If you’re trying to prepare the perfect turkey dinner for Thanksgiving or invest in new kitchen appliances to make your Turkey Day meal prep a breeze, stop by our store today and we’ll help you with all your appliance needs. We’re here to answer any questions you may have and help you cook your Thanksgiving feast like a pro!