5 Simple and Original Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes That Will Impress Your Guests

Make no mistake Turkey is the main dish of the Thanksgiving dinner. So, why not to make it special and original this year? If you consider yourself a bad cook, don’t worry, these are very simple, easy to prepare recipes. Take a look at these perfect recipes and choose the one you want to dazzle your family and guests with!

1. Rosemary-Pear Glazed Roasted Turkey
Ingredients:
1 (10 pound) turkey
1 tbsp butter, melted
1,5 cup pear nectar
1-2 small sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

1 Combine pear nectar, brown sugar, rosemary sprigs and salt in a saucepan. Add butter. Boil gently, stirring often, for 5-10 minutes or until it’s glazed. Cool it.
2 Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Remove giblets from turkey, rinse it inside and pat dry with paper towels. Season inside of turkey with salt. Strongly tie turkey’s drumsticks with a string. Tuck wing tips under. Brush Turkey with melted butter and cover it with aluminum foil.
3 Place turkey in a preheated oven, breast side up, in a flat roasting pan. Roast for 2-3 hours. During the last 20 minutes of roasting, brush turkey twice with the rosemary-pear glaze.
4 Remove turkey from oven; let it stand and cool for 15-30 minutes.

You can serve this delicious turkey with the roasted pear halves: just peel some pears, brush cut pears with melted butter, sprinkle them with lemon juice and rosemary leaves and add to pan with the turkey during the last 15 minutes of roasting.

2. Roasted Turkey with Oranges and Garlic
Ingredients:
1 (10 pound) turkey
3 oranges
4 l water
10 tsp salt
1 onion
15 cloves
100 g butter, melted
120 g sugar
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
1 cinnamon stick
1 carrot
2 tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 garlic clove
¼ tsp black pepper

1 In a big pot mix salt, sugar, cinnamon, coriander and pour 1 liter of boiled water and stir until sugar melts. Pour 3 liters of cold water and add rounds of sliced onion and carrot and lemon juice. The marinade is ready.
2 Put the turkey into the pot with the marinade. Leave it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
3 Get the turkey from the marinade, rinse it and pat dry with with paper towels.
4 Wash the oranges and scald them. Stick in cloves into the oranges. Divide the garlic into individual cloves – do not peel the cloves! Put the oranges and garlic cloves inside the turkey and neatly sew it up.
5 Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Season turkey with pepper and brush with melted butter. Cover it with aluminum foil.
6 Place turkey in a preheated oven, breast side up, in a flat roasting pan. Roast for an hour, then lower the temperature to 325 degree F and roast for 2-3 hours.
7 The last 30-40 minutes roast the turkey without foil and brush one more time with the melted butter. To verify if the turkey is cooked, you can pierce the turkey with a knife – the juices should run clear.

While serving the turkey you can decorate it with slices of orange and some garnish (rice, mashed potatoes etc.)

3. White Wine-Marinated Turkey with Ginger and Thyme
Ingredients:
1 (14 pounds) turkey
3 gloves of garlic
1 tbsp black pepper peas
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp ginger
2 tbsp salt
2 cups lemon juice
1 cup dry white wine

1. Remove giblets  from turkey and carefully rinse it. Make a few shallows into the turkey so it will be marinated thoroughly.
2. In a large pot mix the cut garlic, black pepper, thyme, ginger, salt, lemon juice and wine. Put the turkey into the pot with marinade and leave in the fringe for the night.
3. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Bake for about 5 hours, basting the bird every 30-40 minutes with pan juices. Shield turkey with the foil to prevent excessive browning in spots, if necessary.
4. Remove from oven. Cool it completely.

While serving the turkey you can decorate it with small pumpkins, fresh green or baked apples.

4. Roast Turkey with Wild Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients:
1 (12 pound) turkey
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup fresh sage
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 celery roots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
½ celery root
8 ounces Cremini mushrooms
8 ounces white mushrooms
4 ounces Shiitake mushrooms
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup sour cream
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Remove giblets, neck and tail from turkey and discard. Rinse the bird inside and out, pat dry with paper towels.
2 Mix lemon zest, sage, pepper and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture inside bird’s body cavity, and rub all over outside of turkey. Tie wings and drumsticks together with a kitchen string. Place turkey in pan and leave it uncovered in the fridge for a night.
3 Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Mix carrot, onion, celery and olive oil in a big bowl. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with lemon juice and place half in the pan around turkey and another the remainder in body cavity of the bird. Roast the turkey for 2-3 hours.
4 About 20 minutes before turkey finishes roasting, prepare your mushroom gravy: blend the mushrooms and celery root till creamy mixture. Pour the mixture into the big pan, stew, covered, for 5-6 minutes. Then add sour cream, wine and flour and cook till it’s done.
Serve generous portions of the turkey (sliced medium to thick) and cover with the mushroom gravy.

5. Bacon-Wrapped Turkey
Ingredients:
1(10 pounds) turkey
1 pound bacon, sliced into thin long strips
10 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cup olive oil
1 red chili pepper, cut
2 cups water
8-10 sprigs fresh herbs (such as thyme, rosemary, sage, or their combination), cut into small sprigs.
1 Preheat the oven to 500 degree F. Wash the turkey inside and out, pat dry with paper towels.
2 Mix minced garlic, cut herb mixture, chill pepper, and olive oil – make a spice paste. Carefully rub the paste underneath the skin of the turkey.
3 Pour 2 cups of water into the roasting pan, and roast the turkey for about 30 minutes.
4 Remove the bird from the oven and turn the heat to 350 degrees F. Cover the turkey in the bacon slices. To make the turkey looks more beautiful; cover it a crisscross pattern. Continue roasting for 2 more hours.
Serve it decorated with fresh herbs.