Traditionally, my family’s Christmas dinner is a repeat of Thanksgiving, all the usual fixins with the addition of a mincemeat pie (there have been tears shed when there’s no mincemeat pie!) and a ham. I get to host Christmas dinner every other year and this is our year! The last time I hosted, I made a standing rib roast. This year, we’re falling back on a trusty ol’ turkey.

I have happily found that Costco is currently carrying white and black truffle butter. And I was unable to resist buying it – I walked by a demo station only to see them slathering the softened butter on hot, crusty bread. Sold!

What we didn’t eat on warm, crusty bread was intended for a roast chicken – and dinner for a couple of nights. Instead, we ended up doing a test run for our Christmas dinner (and eating turkey for a solid week). The skin was perfectly seasoned and crispy and the pan drippings made the most phenomenal homemade stock that I’ve ever cooked. And I expect those pan drippings will make some pretty phenomenal gravy at Christmas!

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Turkey with Citrus and White Truffle Butter

A compound butter made with truffles makes the most perfectly seasoned turkey with crispy skin.

Ingredients

• Turkey (mine was ~15lbs)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2-3 sprigs of rosemary
• 6 springs of thyme
• 1 orange, zested and quartered
• 1/2 cup white truffle butter, room temp

Instructions

1. Mix the butter, orange zest, and the leaves stripped from 2 sprigs of thyme. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 325. Remove the giblets and dry the turkey with paper towels.
3. Season the inside of the turkey liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff with the onion and orange quarters, the rosemary, and remaining thyme.
4. Starting at the bottom of the breast (near the legs), loosen the skin over the turkey breast, trying not to tear the skin.
5. Spread the butter mixture between the breast meat and the skin, covering the entire breast.
6. Hold back a tablespoon or two of butter and coat the outside of the turkey.
7. Season the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Tuck the wings under and tie the bird's legs at the bottom of the drumsticks.
8. Roast on a rack set in a roasting pan until the temperature taken at the thickest part of the thigh reaches 160. (Loosely tent with foil if the skin gets too brown before the turkey is done).
9. Let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
10. Reserve pan juices for homemade stock.

Notes

Yields: Servings dependent on bird size

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride