Best Roasted Turkey Calzones Recipes

PERFECT TURKEY IN AN ELECTRIC ROASTER OVEN

Steps:

• Take the insert pan out of the roaster and pre-heat the roaster to its highest setting. On mine it's 450, but use 500 if your oven goes that high.
• Do not wash the turkey! The USDA says that washing it could cause a spread of salmonella poisoning. Sprinkle salt in the cavities. Stuff if desired. Don't pre-stuff your turkey; mix and stuff ingredients immediately before roasting. Tossing in a few pieces of cut fruit or herbs is not considered 'stuffing.' Stuffing usually means filling up the cavity with about ¾ cup stuffing per pound of turkey.
• Rub the entire bird with olive oil or butter. Doctor up your bird with whatever special seasonings you wish. I always use poultry seasoning. Finish with a good sprinkle of seasoning salt and black pepper.
• I highly recommend using a wired thermometer so you can watch the temperature without lifting the lid. Your turkey will be done much earlier than the estimated cook time, so keep a sharp eye on that thermometer. If using a pop-up turkey plug type thermometer, those little pop-ups stick sometimes so you should really use two of them.
• Put the rack into the insert pan and make sure the handles are up, not tucked below. Put the bird in the insert pan on top of the rack. Don't add water to the pan. Put the insert pan back into the roasting pan. If your roaster doesn't have an insert pan, it's ok - just be very careful putting the bird into that hot oven, you don't want to burn your hands on the sides of the oven! Cover.
• Roast at highest setting for 30 minutes. The butter/oil, seasonings and the searing time will make the skin beautifully browned and perfect!
• After 30 minutes, turn the oven temperature down to 325.
• The turkey will self-baste if you do not lift the lid, so you don't have to baste it every 20 minutes like you do in your conventional oven. DO NOT LIFT LID during cooking time! Lifting the lid will increase cooking time because roaster ovens lose their heat unlike regular ovens. I've read that roaster ovens effectively 'steam' the turkey making the meat come out -- well, steamed. This is not true as you will find out. Similar to the roasted chickens you can get at your supermarket, the bird will come out moist and perfectly roasted. Why do you think they call it a Roaster Oven?.
• Figure your total cooking time from the time you first put the bird in the roaster. The Butterball website has a great calculator:.
• http://www.butterball.com/calculators-and-conversions.
• FINAL TEMPERATURE FOR SAFETY AND DONENESS IS: 180 DEGREES IN THIGH AND 165 DEGREES IN BREAST AND STUFFING. Juices should be clear, not pink.
• Check your turkey EARLY. Really start watching the temp an hour before it's supposed to be done. Your turkey will almost certainly be done before the suggested cooking time. Watch your wired meat thermometer. If using a pop-up turkey plug type thermometer, check by lifting the lid quickly so the oven doesn't lose its heat. If necessary, check after another 30 minutes, but I doubt you'll have to do that. I say check after 30 minutes because it's really OK to let the bird roast a little extra - you won't dry it out using my method if you let it go for 1/2 hour.
• When done, remove the turkey from the roaster, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. This allows the juices to really seep into the meat, so they say.
• If you try this method, please let us know your results!
• Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
• Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
• The night before or early on the day you'd like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
• Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
• Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

BISTRO TURKEY CALZONE

Steps:

• Sprinkle cornmeal over a greased baking sheet. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15-in. circle. Transfer to prepared pan. Arrange half of turkey over half of the dough; top with cheese, bacon, apple and remaining turkey. Fold dough over filling and pinch edges to seal., With a sharp knife, cut 3 slashes in the top. Brush with egg and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake at 400° until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

TURKEY, PESTO AND VEGGIE CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove and finely chop the mushroom stems. Cut the mushroom caps into 1/3-inch-thick slices.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is shimmering, add the mushroom stems and caps, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released some of their liquid and start to brown, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the broccoli and an additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pinch of black pepper. Cook until the broccoli is bright green and starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, transfer the mixture to a large bowl and cool to room temperature.
• When the mixture has cooled, add the mozzarella, turkey, ricotta and pesto. Use a rubber spatula to fold everything together until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Divide the dough into two equal portions and form each into a ball. Working with one ball at a time, roll and stretch the dough into a 13-inch round; dust with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Transfer the round to a prepared baking sheet. Spoon half of the filling onto one half of the dough round, leaving a 1-inch border. Use the parchment paper to help fold the other half up and over to enclose the filling, gently pressing out as much air as possible. Seal the edges by stretching the bottom edge of dough up and over the top edge and crimping the edges with your thumb to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough, filling and second prepared baking sheet.
• Cut 2 small slits on the top of each calzone with a sharp knife so steam can escape. Brush each calzone with a little bit of olive oil. Bake until the crust is golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling through the vent slits, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cut the calzones into pieces and serve immediately.