Sheet Pan Buttermilk-Brined Roast Turkey

Serves 8

This sheet pan buttermilk-brined roast turkey is inspired partly by Samin Nosrat’s famous buttermilk-brined roast chicken. Instead of a whole turkey, we’re roasting it in parts, which saves precious oven time and space. It also tenderizes and helps keep the turkey moist with a robust seasoning. Make sure to call your butcher ahead to ask them to cut the turkey into parts or buy a mixture of parts already available at your butcher counter. Some butchers will leave the breasts bone in and some will not; if they are boneless, be mindful that they will cook faster than the rest of the parts. When brining your turkey, the longer the better (up to two days). You can use an available crisper drawer, washed clean, or a large pot to brine your key parts, or even multiple 2-gallon Ziploc bags.

4 cups buttermilk

4 tablespoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (or 2 tablespoons Morton’s Kosher or fine sea salt) 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves 5 garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped

1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 turkey, 12 to 14 pounds, cut into bone-in parts or a mix of wings, leg and breasts

Instructions:

In a large bowl whisk ½ cup buttermilk, salt, thyme, garlic, onion powder and black pepper until the salt is dissolved. Add the remaining 3½ cups buttermilk and briefly whisk again to combine.

Pour the buttermilk brine into a fridge drawer, pot or cooler large enough (but it still fits in the fridge) to hold the turkey parts comfortably. Add the turkey parts and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and preferably up to 2 days, turning the pieces halfway through.

An hour before cooking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment or foil. Take the turkey parts out of the brine, letting excess drip off; discard the brine. Place the dark meat pieces on the edges of the sheet pan and breast pieces in the middle, skin-side up.

Once the turkey has rested for an hour, place the turkey sheet pan on the middle rack in the oven and roast, rotating the pan halfway through. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 150 degrees, and the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees. (Start checking the internal temperature after about 45 minutes, or when the skin starts to brown.)

When the turkey is done cooking, transfer to a cutting board and let rest for about 20-30 minutes before carving. Serve on a platter with any roasting juices left on the sheet pan poured over the top.

A sheet pan of turkey pieces fresh from the oven. Roasting the bird in parts keeps it tender and saves precious oven time.

Bruleed Pumpkin Pie has a caramelized layer of sugar on top, adding sweet shards of crunchy caramel to each bite of gingered and tender pumpkin.