One of the most wonderful things about Thanksgiving is the tantalizing smell of turkey, basted with butter and herbs, roasting slowly in the oven. For me, it brings back memories of happy childhood holidays celebrated at Grandma’s house. In fact, the aroma of a roast turkey is still one of those things that always puts a contented smile on my face.
As an adult, however, I have learned that one of the worst things about Thanksgiving is the messy cleanup. Who knew Grandma did so much work? She made it look so easy! Let’s face it: Nobody enjoys standing over the sink, scrubbing baked-on bits off a greasy roasting pan. Not even Grandma. And while we all have seen the classic images of happy families gathered in anticipation around the table, eagerly looking on while the family matriarch presents the golden-brown bird, carving up a giant turkey also can be totally daunting, difficult, and messy.
With the help of a special type of nylon oven roasting bag and a twist tie (such as those from Reynolds and PanSaver), though, you can enjoy that warm, savory roasting smell filling your house, without any of the messy cleanup afterward. No need to put on those rubber gloves or soak that pan after cooking — just lift up the roasting bag, tie it up, and toss it. Turkey cleanup done!
While you can cook a whole turkey in the bag (as seen in this video), you don’t have to go with so much meat. For instance, in the turkey breast recipe below, you can cook only as much as you need, and there won’t be any tricky carving — just tender, juicy white meat, cooked to moist perfection and ready to serve. MORE: Need a side dish? Try these Thyme mashed potatoes with mascarpone cheese
The seasoning blend of rosemary, onions, and lemons will give you that amazing turkey aroma, as well as a starter for some deliciously flavorful gravy that would make even Grandma proud. Now that’s something to be truly thankful for.
Total 3 hours
