Best Turkey Thighs With Pickled Cranberries And Onions For Two Recipes

CRANBERRY GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
• 2. Place onions and garlic in a 10-inch cast iron pan. Rinse turkey thighs and place on top of onions and garlic.
• 3. In a blender, combine cranberries, maple syrup, orange, water, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, peppercorns, and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Pour over turkey, onions, and garlic.
• 4. Bake for 1 hour, turn the turkey once, and then back clearing the sauce from the top of the thigh. Brush thighs with olive oil and bake another 30-40 minutes. (Baking with the sauce on for the first hour helps lock in moisture. Brushing with olive oil makes crisps the turkey and makes it more visually appealing.)
• 5. Garnish with parsley. Serve.

TURKEY THIGHS WITH CRANBERRY ORANGE GRAVY

Steps:

• 1. Place thighs in crockpot.
• 2. Mix together cranberry sauce, orange juice, onion soup mix, garlic cloves, salt and pepper and pour over turkey thighs. Cook on low 8 hours.
• 3. Remove turkey from crock. Strain juices into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Mix together the triple sec and cornstarch. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into gravy until thickened. Add the cream of mushroom soup. Serve over turkey and there is plenty for potatoes. Garnish with parsley

SWEET AND TANGY SLOW-COOKER BBQ TURKEY THIGHS

Steps:

• Heat the cranberries and 1/2 cup vinegar, covered, in a microwave-safe bowl until the cranberries are softened, 45 to 60 seconds, then transfer to a blender. Add the honey, ketchup, tomato paste, paprika, mustard, garlic, onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and blend until the cranberries are finely pureed. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Reserve and refrigerate 1/4 cup. Pour the remaining 1 1/4 cups into a 6-quart slow cooker.
• Stir together 1 tablespoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl to combine.
• Remove the skin from the turkey thighs, and discard. Place the thighs on a large plate, dry well with paper towels and season both sides with the salt-and-pepper mixture. Place the thighs in the slow cooker, and turn to coat in the sauce. Cover with the lid, and turn the heat to high for 4 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone.
• Transfer the thighs to a plate, and let cool for about 10 minutes. Stir the reserved sauce and the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar back into the pot. When the thighs are cool enough to handle, shred the meat into 1/2-inch strips. Return the meat to the sauce, and stir to coat. Make sandwiches with the meat and potato buns, and serve. Or let the meat cool, and refrigerate up to 2 days.

ONE-PAN, ONE-POT THANKSGIVING DINNER

Steps:

• Marinate the turkey: If the turkey breast comes tied, untie it. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Season the turkey all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, then rub with garlic and thyme leaves. Place turkey on a plate or in a container, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24.
• Place a rack in the top third of your oven and another rack in the bottom third. Depending on your pace, you might want to have two timers at the ready.
• As the turkey marinates, start the sweet potatoes: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap potatoes individually in two or three layers of foil so they don't leak, and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake on the top rack until very soft when you squeeze them (use oven mitts), 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let potatoes cool in the foil and reserve the sheet pan for the turkey.
• While the sweet potatoes bake, make the cranberry sauce: In a medium pot, combine sugar, orange juice, 1/4 cup water and cinnamon stick or star anise. Bring to a simmer and add cranberries. Cook until the cranberries burst and the sauce starts to thicken, 12 to 18 minutes. It will be thin, but will thicken as it chills. Transfer to a serving dish and let cool at room temperature, then refrigerate until serving. Remove cinnamon stick or star anise before serving.
• Clean out the pot and make the gravy: Melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, then add the onion and cook, stirring, until pale golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the flour and cook until the flour turns golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the wine and cook until it mostly evaporates, another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk in 2 cups stock, letting it simmer until thick, 4 to 6 minutes. If the gravy gets too thick, add more stock as needed. Season with salt to taste. Transfer gravy to an insulated container, like a lidded coffee cup or Thermos, to keep warm.
• Make the stuffing in the same pot: Melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in onion, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until soft and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in thyme and sage and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in bread and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup broth, egg, parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fold gently into bread mixture, letting the bread absorb the liquid. If the mixture seems dry, add more stock a little at a time, using up to another 1/4 cup. Dot the surface of the stuffing with a few thin pieces of butter. Cover pot with a lid (or foil) and bake the stuffing on the bottom oven rack until lightly springy, about 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until golden brown, another 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer stuffing to the top of your stove, off the heat, and re-cover to keep it warm until the turkey is ready. Wash the bowl and set aside for the sprouts.
• While the stuffing bakes, roast the turkey: Brush or spread the mustard all over the turkey, then brush with the mayonnaise. Wrap the turkey in bacon and place on a rimmed baking sheet pan. Roast turkey on the top oven rack for 20 minutes.
• Put the brussels sprouts in the medium bowl and toss with enough olive oil to coat, coriander and a pinch of salt. Add the brussels sprouts to the sheet pan with the turkey. Continue to roast until the sprouts are golden and tender, and a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the turkey registers 145 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer (for a total roasting time of 40 to 50 minutes). If the turkey is done before the sprouts, use tongs to transfer it to a cutting board and lightly tent with foil. Leave the sprouts in the oven until done. (If the bacon isn't as brown and crisp as you like, broil the bacon-clad turkey - but not the sprouts - for 1 to 3 minutes.) Allow meat to rest 10 minutes before slicing.
• Finish sweet potatoes: Cut a long slit in the top of the sweet potatoes, leaving them in the foil. Push their ends toward each other so that the middle opens up. Use a fork to mash their centers. Then mash 1/2 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon molasses and some grated nutmeg and salt into each potato. Divide the marshmallows among potatoes and place on the sheet pan after the turkey is done. (The potatoes can share the pan with the brussels sprouts if they need more time.) Bake for about 5 minutes while the turkey rests. Serve.

TURKEY BRAISED WITH CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Combine tablespoon of butter with oil in deep skillet or casserole large enough for turkey legs to fit comfortably. Turn heat to medium high; after a minute add garlic and thyme. Cook for a minute, add turkey legs. Brown on both sides (they will brown unevenly, because of their shape), sprinkling with salt and pepper, and stirring garlic so it does not burn. Remove turkey.
• Add onion, mushrooms, sugar, pinch of salt, and some pepper, and cook; stir occasionally, and adjust heat so vegetables do not burn. When very soft, add 1 cup liquid, half the zest, and cranberries. Bring to boil, return turkey to pan; cover and adjust the heat for a steady simmer.
• Cook about 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes and adding more liquid if necessary, until meat is very tender. Taste sauce, and add more salt, pepper, and sugar if necessary. Remove meat; if sauce is soupy, raise heat and reduce a little; stir in remaining butter. Carve meat as neatly as you can; serve on a bed of sauce, garnish with remaining orange zest.

TURKEY THIGHS WITH PICKLED CRANBERRIES AND ONIONS FOR TWO

Steps:

• Finely grate 1/2 teaspoon zest from the lemon and put it in a small bowl with the garlic and thyme. Halve the lemon and squeeze 1 tablespoon of the juice into the bowl. Mix everything into a paste.
• Pat the turkey thighs dry and season with salt and pepper. Smear turkey with the paste and place thighs on a plate. Refrigerate, uncovered, so the skin can dry out, for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• Meanwhile, squeeze the remaining juice from the lemon halves into a medium bowl. Add the onion, cranberries, lime juice, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt, tossing well. Let the mixture sit at room temperature, tossing occasionally, until the onions wilt and turn pink, 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until serving. (These can be made up to 3 days in advance.)
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put turkey thighs on a baking pan and dot with butter. Roast the thighs for 40 to 50 minutes, until the skin is crisp, the meat is cooked through and the juices run clear. (No need to rest here.)
• Serve turkey with a little of the cranberries and pickles on top, with herbs scattered over everything.