Well, guys, we’re all set with the sides so it’s time for the pièce de résistance of our Thanksgiving, the turkey. This roasted spiced turkey breast has ALL the flavors, and non of the work.
Well, the turkey breast. As a party of one, making a whole turkey would have been horribly impractical so I make do with a roasted breast like last year, which I think works really well. This time, its seasoning comes to us with a little help from my friends over at Morton Salt.
A bit ago, I got to attend a really cool event: a pop-up restaurant, the first of its kind, for Morton Salt’s Next Door Chef: Chicago which converts someone’s home into an actual restaurant for a day. It was crazy how the crew transformed the condo of our hostess, Cara, into “Cara’s” making it unrecognizable from a regular Chicago condo, giving it the feel of a charming neighborhood favorite, the kind that only locals can find.
And, lucky gal, she was paired with a professional chef (Jason Vincent of Giant) to guide her through the whole meal from start to finish, from drinks to dessert, and we all got schooled in how to properly use different types of Morton Salt to make everything, including dessert (um, can you say salted chocolate chip cookies…?), taste better.
I’m the first to admit that I under-salt everything because…I don’t know. I use kosher and sea salt for no reason other than I like its coarseness compared to regular table salt, and I find it’s easier to control the flavor. It turns out…I was right! Whew. Seems that professional chefs use it for the same reason: for texture and flavor, perfect for a brine or, a finishing sprinkle. Glad to know I’m doing something right around here. Alternatively, the Morton Fine Sea Salt you may see lining store shelves dissolve quickly, and are better for marinades, soups, sauces and dressings. Choose your salt wisely for maximum effect!
The turkey served, brined in Morton Kosher Salt, combined traditional Thanksgiving flavors and added a little kick, perfect I thought to compliment the Spanish theme we’ve got going here. However, everything we had at Cara’s was delicious so if you’re interested in checking out some of her recipes (the bacon sweet potato mash? You must go NOW), you can find everything here.
This post is sponsored by Morton Salt. Be sure to check out their website to download your own hosting kit complete and get some recipes! As always, all opinions are my own.
Roasted Spice Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1- 3 lb bone-in, skin-on whole turkey breast
- 2 TB Morton kosher salt
- 1/2 TB dried minced onion
- 1/2 tsp ground dried ginger
- 1/2 TB garlic powder
- pinch cayenne
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp Spanish paprika
- 1/2 TB ground, dried chipotle
- 1/2 TB whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- 1/2 tsp whole dill seeds, toasted and ground
- 3 whole cardamom seeds, toasted and ground
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Step 2 Place all the spice ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
- Step 3 Place the turkey on a cutting board. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh over the whole breast, careful not to pull it off completely, but making a sort of pocket. Stuff half of the spice mixture under the skin, making sure it’s evenly spread. Spread the rest of the turkey with the remaining spice.
- Step 4 Place the turkey on a roasting pan and bake about 1 hour-1 hour, 15 minutes, or until a thermometer placed in the thickest part reaches 165F. Keep an eye on it, you don’t want your turkey to dry out.
- Step 5 Let the turkey breast rest at least 20 minutes before carving.
I use Morton Coarse Kosher salt every day in my cooking. Dear Husband would love this, he’s addicted to turkey and Paprika.
I didn’t really know how the spice combo would go, but it was really a delicious and different way to turkey!