We stayed home all weekend (it was snowy outside) and lazed around, not doing much of anything. It was 10:04 am on Monday and I realized that friends of ours were coming for dinner. I had not cleaned and there was no plan for dinner. There was a whole turkey in the freezer... if I turn on the oven right now...
So, in the turkey went at 180ºC (350ºF) for the rest of the day. I tidied between preparing the rest of dinner.
In the end, we had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, roasted carrots, cauliflower salad, and steamed peas. It was wonderful! I even had time to make apple crisp and whipping cream for desert. We had a wonderful time and my saving grace through it was the meat thermometer which assured me that the turkey was cooked and ready to eat.
Regrettably, I forgot to take any photos of any of the dinner as I was busy cooking then chatting with friends - it was too good a visit to remember the camera.
So, the next time you only have a few hours and the meat is fully frozen, you can still make it!
Hi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI DID NOT think it was possible to cook a turkey from frozen state, let alone have it taste wonderful! You are an amazing source of great info! Just wondering how you handled seasoning of the turkey (i.e. I usually sprinkle the inside cavity with herbs, salt and pepper and onions). Did you rub the outside with butter or anything else?
I LOVE to read your blog when I can--you have so much great info and your pictures are always magazine-beautiful! Janice M.
Janice - Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have roasted whole chickens and roasts frozen as well - this is where my meat thermometer is really important. I did rub butter on the outside of the turkey, but left it fairly plain. This is typically where I would season the gravy really well and include whole herbs and spices in making the gravy and then strain them out afterward. I also wanted to be aware of the kids who were coming and I was unsure what they would love or not.
For the potatoes, I minced and fried two onions and put in a bunch of roasted garlic. I also heated up the butter and cream before adding them to the potatoes to prevent them from going gluey. I think the potatoes "dressed up" the plain turkey fairly well!
Thank you for reading and commenting!!