At the end of the day, enjoying a delicious meal with friends and family is what it’s all about. At Saslove’s, we understand the value of a good meal. We’re happy to share some of our favourite recipes with you here so that you can celebrate with your own families. Here’s to dinnertime!
P.S. Looking for more information? Head on over to our Cooking Tips page to learn more about temperatures and preparation.
Holiday Turkey
Turkey is a classic choice for the holidays because you can be sure to feed your whole family with it. When cooked right, a turkey is moist and delicious with a crispy skin. This extremely flavourful turkey, rubbed with flavoured butter, is a great choice for your next Christmas or Easter celebration.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- Medium Bowl
- Kitchen Twine
- Roasting Pan
- Turkey Baster
- Aluminum Foil
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 12lb turkey 11-15lb is fine
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tbsp lemon zest
- 5 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ tbsp sea salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 large onion quartered
- 4 garlic cloves halved
- ½ bunch parsley
- 1 lemon quartered
Instructions
- Season the turkey cavity generously with salt and pepper.
- In a medium bowl combine softened butter, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, crushed garlic cloves, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Mash it all together until well combined.
- Using your fingertips, gently separate the turkey skin from the flesh. Be careful not to rip the skin!
- Rub ⅔ of the butter mixture under the skin, then massage it thoroughly over the flesh of the entire bird.
- Rub remaining butter on the outside of the turkey, over the skin and on the breast, legs and wings. Drizzle the top of the entire turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper.
- Stuff the turkey with the onion, halved garlic cloves, ½ bunch of parsley, and quartered lemon. Tie the turkey's legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings into the body of the bird.
- Preheat the oven to 430°F. Place the oven rack fairly low in the oven. Roast the turkey uncovered for 20mn.
- Remove from the oven and baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. Fold a large square sheet of tin foil in half so that it forms a triangle. Rub one side of the triangle with olive oil and shape the foil oil side down over the turkey breast.
- Reduce the oven to 350°F and bake for another 2½ hours for a 12lb bird, or about 13mn for every pound of turkey. Remove from the oven.
- Transfer to a serving platter and cover loosely but completely with foil. Let the turkey rest for at least an hour. Keep the drippings from the roasting pan for gravy.
Notes
Always remember to check the temperature with a meat thermometer to make sure the turkey is ready. The internal temperature should read a steady 165°F in the thigh.
Also remember to tuck the wings into the body of the bird so that they don’t get scorched.
Tip: If you’re stuffing your turkey, be sure to only stuff the bird immediately before seasoning it and putting it in the oven; otherwise you risk the stuffing becoming contaminated. It’s also important to test the temperature of the stuffing itself, which should be minimum 165°F.
Chuck Roast (in the oven)
If you've got a family to feed and about five hours of time on your hands, you can't go wrong with a chuck roast! This deliciously beefy cut is full of connective tissues that need to be broken down through a long, low roasting process until it falls apart under a fork. Don't be intimidated; a whole roast looks impressive, but they're easier than they look! Make with a side of mashed potatoes and beef gravy for the perfect dinner.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- Skillet
- Roasting Pan (with lid)
Ingredients
- 1 3-5lb Chuck Roast room temperature
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 large Yellow Onion peeled & halved
- 1 cup Red Wine
- 2 cups Beef Broth
- 1/4 cups Balsamic Vinegar
- 6 Carrots peeled & cut into thirds
- 2 stalks Celery cut into thirds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°C. Generously rub your roast with the salt & pepper, Italian seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder. Next, put the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
- When the olive oil is glistening but not smoking, put in the seasoned roast. Sear it on each side for about 3-4mn. Transfer it to the roasting pan and arrange the onions around it.
- Deglaze the skillet with the wine, beef broth, and balsamic vinegar. Cook off the alcohol, about 1mn, then immediately pour this mixture around the roast – this will keep the meat nice and moist, not to mention flavourful. Cover the pan with the lid and put it in the oven.
- Roast with the lid on for 2 hours.
- Lightly season the carrots and celery with salt, then arrange them around the roast. Cover again and roast in the oven for another 2 hours. Check on the meat at this point, and again every 20mn until it's ready; when it is, you should be able to easily pull it apart with two forks. Let rest for at least 10mn before eating.
Stuffed Chicken
If you want to impress your friends without spending the entire day working over a hot stove, try these stuffed chicken breasts! They're absolutely delicious, look great on the plate, and take less than an hour to make.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- Small Bowl
- Skillet
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 6 garlic cloves diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 bunches spinach
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat the chicken breasts as dry as possible with paper towel. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper and chili powder. Rub the chicken breasts with this mix. Set them aside.
- Sauté garlic in olive oil and butter in a skillet on medium heat until soft and just brown, about. Deglaze with white wine and turn heat to medium-high until you've cooked off the alcohol, about 3-5mn.
- Once the wine has cooked off, turn the heat down to medium-low and add the spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the spinach until most of the moisture has left it; it will reduce significantly in size.
- Add the cream cheese and cook on medium-low heat until the cream cheese is melted and all ingredients are well mixed. Season again with salt and pepper if needed.
- Gently cut a pocket in each chicken breast. Make the pocket as large as possible without piercing through the breast. Stuff the pocket with your cream cheese mixture.
- Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. When the oil is glistening but not smoking, sear the chicken on each side until golden brown – about 3-4mn.
- Finish in the oven for 15-20mn, depending on the size of the chicken breast. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Notes
Instead of making a pocket in the breast, this recipe could easily be done by butterflying the breast then tying together with kitchen twine before baking, or by pounding the breasts flat and rolling them into a roulade.
The recipe can also be easily modified for more servings. Simply multiply the ingredients according to the additional servings you’d like to make.
Keep in mind that it’s very important to prepare and cook chicken recipes safely. For chicken-related safety tips, check out this page from the Chicken Farmers of Canada.
