NRAEF : Blog

Looking for the perfect recipe to roast your turkey this year? CHEF Pathway at the Applied Technology Center High School in Montebello, California shared their recipe with us to make the perfectly browned turkey fit for every guest. Take a look at the recipe below!

Roasted Turkey

Ingredients

1 ea Turkey, 18-20lbs

2 ea Onion, quartered

1 hd Garlic, halved, crosswise

1 ea Carrots, large diced

1 ea Celery rib, large diced

1 ea Lemon, sliced

1 bunch Thyme, fresh

3 sprigs Rosemary

1 ea Bay leaf

TT Black pepper

¾ cup Butter, unsalted, room temperature

TT Salt

¼ cup Butter, unsalted, room temperature

4 tbsp Thyme, chopped

1 ea Lemon, zest

Procedure- precooking days

1. If frozen, thaw out turkey completely. Turkey can be thawed in the refrigerator (this may take up to 3 days) or under cold running water.

2. Once thawed, air dry turkey for 3 days in refrigerator.

3. Whip ¼ cup of softened butter in stand mixer or by hand and reserve.

Procedure- cooking day

1. Preheat oven to 425 F

2. Remove turkey from refrigerator 1 HOUR before roasting in the oven. Set it on the counter and allow for the turkey to come to room temperature.

3. Cut onions, celery, and carrots. Zest lemon and reserve zest. Slice lemon and combine with vegetables and herbs.

4. Season the turkey cavity with salt and pepper and fill with vegetables and herb mix.

5. Cover the entire turkey with the room temperature, ¾ cup whipped butter.

6. Add salt to the turkey and place in the oven.

7. Roast at 425F for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, drop the oven temperature to 350F.

8. Turkey will roast in the oven at 350F for 2.5 to 3 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 153F.

9. Check the temperature of the turkey near the thighs- once it reaches 153F, remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest for an additional 45-60 minutes before carving. Turkey will continue to carryover cook reaching a final temperature of 165F.

10. Brush turkey with ¼ cup whipped butter and add 4 tbsp of chopped thyme and zest of 2 lemons all around; carve and serve.

Paramus Public Schools ProStart  got to work in their kitchens as well, and wanted to share their recipes with us. We all know the dinner table isn’t complete without mashed potatoes, and we think these chefs hit the nail on the head with this dish! Topped with their savory gravy recipe, you can’t go wrong with these potatoes this Thanksgiving. 

Mashed Potatoes with Gravy 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes 

5 pounds bag Russet potatoes, peeled & cubed 

4 tablespoons softened butter 

2 teaspoons salt 

1 cup organic heavy cream (more if needed) 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

¼ cup Parmesan cheese -dry 

¼ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded 

Savory Gravy 

4 tablespoons butter 

4 tablespoons flour 

3 cups beef broth 

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 

1 teaspoon salt 

½ teaspoon rosemary 

1 teaspoon sugar 

½ teaspoon sherry 

¼ teaspoon black pepper 

Directions 

1. Place the peeled and chopped potatoes in a large stock pot and completely cover with water. 

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a light boil, and cook until fork tender, 10-12 minutes. 

3. Add 4 Tbsp butter, and cream those together. 

4. Add the heavy cream, both Parmesan cheeses, salt, and garlic. 

5. Mix until creamy adding more heavy cream if necessary to reach desired consistency. 

6. For the gravy, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, and add 4 Tbsp butter. ○ Once butter melts, add the flour and whisk until smooth. 

7. Add the beef broth, increase the heat to medium high, and whisk constantly. 8. Add the remaining gravy ingredients, and whisk until it thickens. This may take several minutes. 

9. Cover and remove from heat. Serve the gravy over the garlic mashed potatoes.

And what is Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce? Keep reading for Paramus High School ProStart’s cranberry sauce recipe that is sure to make a smash this year! 

Cranberry Sauce

1 12 ounce package of fresh cranberries 

1 large Granny Smith apples (peeled and cored and diced) 

1 large Gala apple 

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar 

½ tsp ground cinnamon 

1 grated orange rind 

1 large orange, squeezed 

Argonaut Culinary stayed busy this week as well, and wanted to share the recipe for their Sausage Stuffing. They’ve been celebrating Thanksgiving all week long, indulging in meals for each class period! Check out their stuffing recipe below! 

Sausage Stuffing

8 cups store bought unseasoned stuffing cubes

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter

1 ½ cups diced yellow onion (from 1 large or 2 small onions)

1 cup diced celery (from 3 large celery stalks)

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound sweet italian sausage

2 ¾ cups chicken stock

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary 

1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

½ teaspoon salt 

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the over to 350° F. Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish with butter. 

2. Place the stuffing cubes in a large mixing bowl

3. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the vegetables to the stuffing cubes. (Don’t wash the pan but scrape out every last bit of vegetables, otherwise they will burn in the next step.)

4. In the same pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a metal spatula while cooking (the largest pieces should be no greater than ¼ -inch). Add the browned sausage and fat to the bread cubes and vegetables.

5. Add the chicken stock, egg, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper to the bread cube mixture and mix until the bread is soft and moistened. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and bake for 65-75 minutes, uncovered, until deeply golden brown and crisp on top. 

What are your favorite recipes to cook on Thanksgiving? Let us know with the hashtag #MadeInProStart. We’re thankful for all of our ProStart students, past and present, each and every day. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!