"Classic" Thanksgiving recipes are as varied as the Americans who cook them, and there's more than one way to skin (or fry or roast) a turkey. Here are several to choose from: traditional to Latin cuisine and in-between.
Turkey With Brown Sugar Glaze, from Martha Stewart
The queen of cuisine offers up this sweet and savory centerpiece for your Thanksgiving feast. Traditionalists will still love this version, but the glaze adds a little tang to counter the tryptophan.
Roast Turkey, from Food Network's Alton Brown
Science geeks and food nerds know Brown is the master of kitchen chemistry. His cooking alchemy results in perfectly predictable results that taste like magic.
Pavochon - Puerto Rican Roasted Turkey, from Daisy Martinez
Slow roasting the bird lets the smoky adobo work into the meat, infusing it with spice and heat.
Chile-Rubbed Turkey with Beet Stuffing and Gravy, from Saveur Magazine
This recipe is more involved, but worth the extra effort. The glaze is similar to a mole, and the stuffing makes good use of Southwestern vegetables.
Here's Martha Stewart's recipe to get you started:
Ingredients
1 whole turkey (about 12 pounds), thawed if frozen, rinsed, and patted dry (neck and giblets chopped into 2-inch pieces; liver discarded)
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons orange juiceDirections
Let turkey sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Place neck, giblets, carrots, celery, and onion in a heavy-bottomed metal roasting pan. Set a roasting rack over vegetables and coat with cooking spray.Tuck wing tips underneath body of turkey. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Rub turkey all over with 2 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Place turkey on rack in pan; roast on bottom oven rack until golden brown, 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Add 2 cups water to pan; roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh reads 125 degrees, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring vinegar, brown sugar, and orange juice to a boil over high, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons butter and orange zest.
When thermometer reads 125 degrees, brush turkey with glaze. Rotate pan and roast, brushing turkey with remaining glaze every 15 minutes, until thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reads 165 degrees, 30 to 45 minutes (tent turkey with foil if browning too quickly). Transfer turkey to a platter. Loosely tent with foil and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Reserve pan with drippings for Pan Gravy.