Shug's Kitchen: Thanksgiving Feast

It's holiday time, and you know what that means: BUTTER! Our turkey had prosciutto-butter under its skin, the stuffing had it's own stick of butter, and the mashed potatoes, well..... they're mashed potatoes. Our full spread included a roasted turkey breast, cornbread-prosciutto stuffing, mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans, cranberry relish, gravy, and for dessert, pumpkin pie a la Paula Dean (with cream cheese to make it kind of like cheesecake).

But for the blog, here are a few recipes with pictures of the highlights:

Roasted Turkey Breast a la Jamie Oliver's "Fantastic Chicken"

Inspiration: Jamie Oliver's recipe for Fantastic Roasted Chicken

1 5 lb. turkey breast, skin-on & bone-in
8 oz softened butter
1/2 c. fresh thyme finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon
.3 lb. prosciutto

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Separate the turkey skin from the breast with your fingers, being careful not to tear the skin.

Zest the lemon, and chop the zest finely. Chop the prosciutto and mix with lemon zest, thyme, and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste, and mix into softened butter.

Using your fingers, push this butter mixture in between the skin and breast of the turkey. And as Jamie says, "rub and massage any that's left over in and around the bird. It's all tasty stuff."

Place the turkey in a shallow roasting pan. Cut the peeled lemon in half and push it into the turkey cavity. Roast the turkey breast for 25 minutes per pound or until juices run clear and internal temperature is 170 degrees.

Remove turkey from roasting pan, and deglaze pan with 2 c. wine or broth to begin a gravy. Scrape up all the brown stuff, transfer to sauce pan, and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix 1 tbs corn starch into 3 tbs warm water and add to sauce to thicken. Stir constantly over low heat until desired consistency is acheived.