Ancho-Maple Glazed Roast Turkey with Cranberry-Mango Relish

I know, I know - it's a weird time of year to talk about roasting a turkey. But I had one in the freezer that needed cooked. And eaten.

Bobby Flay says: This is how Mesa Grill does Thanksgiving. Not only is this turkey moist and incredibly flavorful (not something most turkeys can live up to); it is also beautiful to look at. Slipping sage leaves under the turkey’s skin makes for a dramatic presentation. As for the gravy and the cranberry relish, you didn’t think this bird could be paired with standard gravy and cranberries from a can did you? Roasted garlic wakes up the gravy – and the sweet and spicy bird – and the relish provides the perfect sweet-tart finish.

I say: I usually buy an extra turkey or two at Thanksgiving when they are on sale. They are one of the most economical types of meat you can buy at that time. You can feed a lot of people, make turkey stock (which can make another 8 or 10 pots of soup), and have leftovers. I did brine the turkey the day before (see the November 2011 blogs), and I didn’t make the gravy that Bobby Flay recommends. I made the Pioneer Woman gravy (see the November 2011 blogs also) because it’s just the best gravy ever. So if you want the recipe for the Roasted Garlic Cilantro Gravy, you’ll have to experiment with your own gravy. But you can mash some roasted garlic and add cilantro to the Pioneer Woman gravy if you want.

That said, this is a delicious glaze and relish for turkey. The turkey was moist and flavorful. Everything was easy to make. And the cranberry relish was simply yummy.

So next time you cook a turkey and want a different sort of glaze and relish, have fun with this.

ANCHO-MAPLE GLAZED ROAST TURKEY WITH CRANBERRY-MANGO RELISH
1 ½ c. pure maple syrup
2 tbs. Dijon mustard
3 tbs. ancho chile powder (I ground 2 dried ancho chiles up in the food processor)
Kosher salt
1 (18 lb. turkey)
20 fresh sage leaves
3-4 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Freshly ground black pepper

Cranberry-Mango Relish (I made this the day before and it was hard not to eat it then!)
3 tbs. unsalted butter
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 tbs. grated fresh ginger
2 c. orange juice (not from concentrate)
1 tbs. grated orange zest
¼ c. packed brown sugar
1 lb. fresh or frozen cranberries
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ginger

and cook until the onion is soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the orange juice, zest and brown sugar.

Cook until the sugar is completely melted and the mixture thickens slightly, 5-7 minutes.

Add half the cranberries and cook until they pop, 5-7 minutes.

Add the remaining cranberries and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the mangoes.

Peel, then cut the bottom off the mango.

Serve at room temperature.

This can be prepared and refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day ahead. Bring to room temperature 1 hour before serving.

The turkey:
Brine the turkey the day before (see November 2011 blog).
Oven at 275 degrees.

Wash the turkey, pat dry. Make a slit by the breastbone to loosen the skin.

Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the breasts and drumsticks and slip the sage leaves and garlic underneath.

Place the turkey on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Cover COMPLETELY with foil (see the November blog 2011 on cooking a turkey). Place in a pre-heated 275 degree oven and walk away. The rule of thumb now is to roast the turkey at 275 degrees for about 10 minutes per pound. So for a 20-pound turkey, roast it at 275° for about 3 ½ hours. (For a 15-pound turkey, roast it for 2 ½ hours.) Note: there’ll still be more cooking time after this, but it’ll be at a different temperature).

While the turkey is roasting, make the Ancho-Maple Glaze: whisk together the maple syrup, mustard, and ancho powder in a medium bowl and season with salt.

When it’s time to take off the foil, melt one stick of butter in a bowl. Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the temperature to 375°. Remove the aluminum foil and set aside. Brush 1/3 of the butter all over the skin of the turkey. Brush 1/3 of the glaze over the skin also.

Place the turkey uncovered back into the oven. Continue roasting the turkey, basting with butter and glaze every 30 minutes

until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees and until the juices are no longer pink. If it starts to get too brown, just put a piece of foil on top of the brown part.

Remove from oven, pour any juices out of the turkey into the roasting pan, take the turkey out of the roasting pan and place the turkey on a baking sheet. Cover with foil for at least 15 minutes, until you are ready to carve and serve it.

Meanwhile, make the gravy – see the November 2011 blog on how to do that.

Serve with the Cranberry –Mango Relish and whatever side dishes make your mouth water. Yummy!