First of all, I'd like to assure you all that this was NOT my wine-addled own doing at Thanksgiving.
I spent Turkey day with my best friend and her family, and her husband did the majority of the cooking for us (heaven!!). For years I've heard her rave about his turkey and how moist it is, etc. etc. but hadn't tried it until last weekend.
Well, he does something rather unique that I have not seen before. He cooks it with the breast down in the pan!
I just wasn't quite sure what to make of that!
He smeared it with a paste of herbs, then basted it often with a red wine/stock sauce he makes (he also stuffed the bird, which I don't do), and ends up with some fabulous broth to use for gravy.
Doesn't use a roasting rack, and by the end of the cook, the pan is almost full of juice!
Has anyone heard of that before?
Obviously the skin doesn't crisp on the front of the bird, but it did turn out nice and moist. Great flavors from the herb paste and wine stock he makes. I love crispy skin too much to do my own that way, but it was certainly something fun and different to try!
