Turkey breast perfect for small Thanksgiving

Note: This story originally published in 2020

My own Thanksgiving dinner this year will be for just two, plus a Zoom call (assuming the system doesn’t crash with everyone trying to use it at the same time). So instead of getting a big bird and defrosting it for a week, I’ll be going the smaller route and just cooking a breast.

Incidentally, don’t forget that frozen turkey breasts have to be thawed, too. Plan on 1 ½ to 2 days in the refrigerator, depending on the size.

For the purposes of this story, though not for actual Thanksgiving, I decided to make four different turkey breasts. Three are variations on the traditional Thanksgiving roast turkey, and one is a little unusual, just for fun.

Unfortunately, the turkey breasts I bought for this story did not happen to have skin on them. They were from a well-known brand (I’ll call it Dutterdall), and nothing on the packaging indicated that they were skinless. So all of my efforts to give them a crispy skin went to waste, as there was no skin to crisp.

Nonetheless, they were all excellent. I can only imagine how good they would have been with crispy skin.

My first version is just about the simplest possible way to make turkey: Take a turkey (or in this case a turkey breast). Brush it with olive oil or melted butter. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Roast it in the oven at 450 degrees for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the size.

That’s all there is to it. It’s so easy that people think it won’t work, especially if you post it online as Mark Bittman, formerly with the New York Times, did.

Commenters immediately jumped on the recipe, saying there is no way you should cook a turkey breast at 450 degrees for 40 to 60 minutes — it will turn out stringy and tough. But those commenters almost certainly did not try it.

I did, and I am here to say that it works. Oh my, does it work. The turkey is moist and tender, and unencumbered by any other ingredients. It is a pure expression of Thanksgiving turkey flavor.

Dress it up

Being a contrarian, I naturally wanted to add herbs and spices to my next turkey breast. Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast comes from a recipe by Ina Garten, who has earned the position of being my favorite celebrity cook. Her recipes are almost always great.

This one is no exception. You smear the turkey breast with a paste made from minced garlic, dried mustard, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, sage, salt and pepper, mixed with olive oil and lemon juice and then roasted over a simmering pool of white wine.

All of those aromatics do the job. This turkey has a bright earthy taste, the garlic and herbs working together in culinary harmony. It is a finely wrought balance of flavors.

The next version I made falls happily in between the primal turkey taste of the simple Roast Turkey Breast and the fully rounded power of the Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast.

Butter-Roasted Turkey Breast takes the idea of the butter from the former recipe and the aromatics from the latter to create a turkey breast with a mild, herbaceous flavor.

The difference is the preparation. Instead of coating the turkey with a pungent paste, this one cooks the breast on a bed of herbs.

Sprigs of thyme and rosemary, and plenty of cloves of garlic, slowly release their aroma which is then absorbed by the savory meat.

The resulting turkey breast is rich and mild, which should appeal to all.

Finally, I went a little rogue and made Pastrami-Style Grilled Turkey Breast (you could also cook it in the oven for Pastrami-Style Roasted Turkey Breast). Turkey pastrami is one of my favorite cold cuts, and I jumped at the chance to make it for myself.

It’s good enough that you just might want to serve it for Thanksgiving.

Traditional pastrami that is cured in a spiced brine, covered in a crust of coarsely-ground seeds and cooked. Turkey pastrami, however, does not need the long curing time or even the brine. What matters is that crust of seeds and spices.

The one I made uses a combination of coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns and Szechuan peppercorns — which I admit are not ordinarily part of a typical delicatessen pastrami. Don’t worry about it; it works fine.

I cooked mine on the grill, which gave it a faint smoky edge, but nothing too drastic. It added just one more layer of flavor to the other noteworthy tastes of the ground seeds.

It was delicious when it was served hot; better even than I thought it would be. But the cold leftovers, sliced and served on a sandwich? You’ll be glad you had to limit your guests to Thanksgiving.

It just means more turkey pastrami for you.

Roast Turkey Breast

Yield: 4 to 10 servings. Adapted from a recipe by Mark Bittman

Salt

1 turkey breast, 3 to 6 pounds

2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter

Black pepper

If you have time, sprinkle the breast with 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound of turkey 24 hours before you plan to cook it. If the turkey has skin, carefully work your hands under the skin to loosen it, and sprinkle half of the salt there and the other half on the skin (use a little less than 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound if there is no skin). Keep uncovered in the refrigerator until 1 hour before you are ready to cook it.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place turkey in roasting pan; brush with oil or butter, and season with pepper and salt, if you did not previously use salt.

Place turkey in oven and roast for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on size, basting with the pan juices every 15 minutes or so. The turkey is ready when the thermometer reads 155 degrees. Remove the turkey from the oven, and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes (during which time its internal temperature will rise to about 160 degrees) before carving and serving.

Per serving (based on 5): 573 calories; 15 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 312 mg cholesterol; 105 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; no sugar; no fiber; 884 mg sodium; 63 mg calcium

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast

Yield: 6 servings

1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 ½ to 7 pounds

1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons good olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice to make a paste. Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast, about 1¾ to 2 hours (smaller or boneless breasts will take less time). If the skin is over-browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over the turkey.

Per serving: 752 calories; 35 g fat; 8 g saturated fat; 319 mg cholesterol; 108 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; no sugar; no fiber; 704 mg sodium; 78 mg calcium

Butter-Roasted Turkey Breasts

Yield: 8 servings. Recipe by Alison Roman, via Bon Appetit

2 skin-on, bone-in turkey breasts (3 ½ to 4 pounds)

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

6 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs rosemary

1 head of garlic, cloves peeled, crushed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Gently loosen skin from turkey breasts and rub butter under skin and all over outside of breasts; season with salt and pepper.

Scatter thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs and garlic over a large rimmed baking sheet and arrange turkey breasts, skin side up, on top. Roast turkey breasts, turning halfway through, until skin is crisp and golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breasts registers 160 degrees, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Transfer turkey breasts to a platter and let rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with pan drippings.

Per serving: 424 calories; 26 g fat; 11 g saturated fat; 159 mg cholesterol; 44 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; no sugar; 2 g fiber; 1,133 mg sodium; 79 mg calcium

Butter-Roasted Turkey Breasts

Yield: 8 servings. Recipe by Alison Roman, via Bon Appetit

2 skin-on, bone-in turkey breasts (3 ½ to 4 pounds)

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

6 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs rosemary

1 head of garlic, cloves peeled, crushed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Gently loosen skin from turkey breasts and rub butter under skin and all over outside of breasts; season with salt and pepper.

Scatter thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs and garlic over a large rimmed baking sheet and arrange turkey breasts, skin side up, on top. Roast turkey breasts, turning halfway through, until skin is crisp and golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breasts registers 160 degrees, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Transfer turkey breasts to a platter and let rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with pan drippings.

Per serving: 424 calories; 26 g fat; 11 g saturated fat; 159 mg cholesterol; 44 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; no sugar; 2 g fiber; 1,133 mg sodium; 79 mg calcium