(Photo by Kana Okada)
Time for another recipe from the Every Day With Rachael Ray $10 Spot! I actually made this about 2 weeks ago and we really enjoyed it (although I admit that I made it with chicken instead of turkey because turkey thighs weren't available at my store). However, we are getting in to "turkey season", so you should be able to find turkey thighs with little effort in the next month. It was great with chicken...can't wait to try it with turkey!
Cocoa-Roasted Turkey
SERVES 4 PREP 10 min COOK 35 min
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 turkey thighs (about 3 ¾ pounds total)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 cup white rice
- ½ cup roasted, salted peanuts
- 2 bananas, halved lengthwise
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and 1 tablespoon salt. Rub the turkey with the oil and sprinkle with the cocoa mixture. Roast the turkey, skin side up, until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°, about 50 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and tent with foil.
2. Add ¾ cup water to the roasting pan and simmer over medium heat, scraping up the browned bits.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat ½ tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and coriander and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water, the rice and ¾ teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the peanuts.
4. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the banana slices and cook until lightly browned on each side; season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Serve the turkey with the peanut rice, fried bananas and pan gravy.
And now the cost breakdown:
-
- Cocoa Powder $.41
- Turkey Thighs $5.97
- Vegetable Oil $.07
- Butter $.19
- Bell Pepper $.50
- Ground Coriander $.52
- Rice $.56
- Peanuts $.99
- Bananas $.39
Total Cost: $9.60 or $2.40 per person
Make it cheaper: not much wiggle room in here, although I would be on the lookout for sales on turkey! For me, the peanuts were freebies because I got so many free tins of Planters this past summer.
