Last week, I decided to take a day off and enjoy this wonderful early fall weather we’ve been having lately. My mother had been begging me to go with her out to Vandergrift to visit a free-range turkey farm to stock up on some good poultry. Monday was 75 degrees and sunny, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some fresh air and take a drive to the country. The farm we visited was called Pounds Turkey Farm – they are known for raising turkeys the old fashioned way, and offer poultry that is free of antibiotics, hormones, salt, and other additives. It sounded right up our alley, so naturally we stocked up on a TON of great meat.

In particular, they offered very nice looking whole turkeys & breasts. Hayley and I are big turkey lovers, and thought this was a great opportunity to post a pre-thanksgiving turkey dinner. We used the cooking times / temps that were supplied from the turkey farm itself, but came up with our own seasoning ideas. The result was a tasty bird, seasoned simply with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary. We decided to accompany it with roasted asparagus, and our classic cauliflower rice. This meal was majorly satisfying, and provided some great leftovers, too.

Ingredients:

• 6-7lb Turkey Breast
• Rosemary
• Olive Oil
• Kosher salt & Pepper
• 1 lb Asparagus

Process:

For the Turkey

1. If frozen, defrost turkey breast. Best done by placing in refrigerator at least 24 hours in advance.
2. Preheat oven to 325.
3. Drizzle olive oil over turkey breast, brush to coat.
4. Separate rosemary from stems, roughly chop and sprinkle liberally on turkey.
5. Add kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste.
6. Place turkey in shallow roasting pan.
7. Cook turkey approximately 2 – 2 3/4 hours (turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the breast reads 170 degrees) Periodically baste turkey with juices in the pan, especially towards the end of the cooking.
8. Let rest for 10 minutes, carve, and serve!

For the Asparagus

1. Clean asparagus, snap off lower stems.
2. Toss asparagus with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil.
3. Season with kosher salt and cracked pepper.
4. Roast at 400 for 15 minutes.
5. Serve.

This meal is sure to be seen again on our own plates in the coming months as the days get cooler and shorter. There is something very comforting about roasting a whole turkey: it makes the whole house smell nice for several hours, it tastes great, it’s healthy for you, and it leaves you feeling nicely satisfied! This one gets four thumbs up from us – we hope you’ll try it! Enjoy.