Thanksgiving Recipes From Butterball

November 16, 2011 - CBS 2 News at 5 and 6 a.m.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and it's time to think about the daunting task of preparing the turkey. To help with that operation, we were joined this morning by Phyllis Kramer at the Butterball Turkey hotline in Naperville.

Butterball also left us these fine recipes:

Roast Turkey with Mediterranean Rub

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients
1 Butterball® Turkey (14 to 16 pounds), thawed if frozen
1 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup ground dry lemon peel
4 tsp sugar, granulated
4 tsp sea salt
4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbsp dry oregano leaves
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Remove neck and giblets from turkey. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Turn wings back to hold neck skin against back of turkey. Place turkey breast side up on flat rack in shallow roasting pan.
3. Roast turkey approximately 1-1/2 hours. Then, cover breast loosely with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil to prevent overcooking.
4. While turkey is cooking, combine parsley, lemon peel, sugar, salt and spices to make rub. Set aside.
5. Roast turkey another 1-1/2 hours, or until meat thermometer reaches 180°F when inserted into the deepest part of the thigh muscle.
6. Let turkey stand 15 minutes before carving.
7. Sprinkle rub on sliced Butterball Turkey or rub over entire turkey when it is removed from the oven.

NOTE: Rub should be used within 24 hours for best results.

Asiago Whipped Potatoes with Turkey Bacon

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
2 lbs boiling potatoes, peeled, cut in half
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, white part only, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thin
5 oz asiago cheese, grated
2 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup Butterball® Turkey Bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and sautéed crisp
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Place potatoes in a pot with cold water about 1-inch over top of potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer potatoes 10 to 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small skillet on medium heat. Cook and stir leeks two to three minutes or until tender, but not brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Drain potatoes, reserving cooking liquid. Add grated asiago, butter and cooked leeks to potatoes.
4. Mash with a potato masher until fairly smooth, adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. While mashing, add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the crisp turkey bacon.

Cake and Ice Cream 'Pops'

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Freeze Time: 60 to 70 minutes
Serves: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
1 purchased pound cake, 10 to 12 ounces
1 pint ice cream, flavor of choice
1-1/2 bottles (7-1/4 ounce each) hard coating chocolate topping
8 to 10 plastic mini forks or wooden picks
Multi-color sprinkles
Finely chopped nuts
Crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
Chopped peppermint stick
Toasted coconut

Directions
1. Remove pound cake from packaging. Slice a piece 1/4-inch thick off 1 end*. Cut remaining cake into 3/4-inch thick slices. Cut into circles using a 1-3/4-inch diameter cookie cutter*.
2. Place circles on a tray lined with plastic wrap.
3. Place a scoop of ice cream about 1-3/4-inch in diameter** on top of each cake circle. Place tray in freezer for 45 to 60 minutes or until ice cream is firm.
4. Pour chocolate topping into bowl. Remove cake from freezer. Insert plastic fork into each piece of cake. Dip into chocolate topping. Dip into dry topping of choice. Place on serving tray. Return to freezer 5 to 10 minutes or until outside of "pops" are firm.

Tip: Use holiday flavors of ice cream such as pumpkin, cranberry or caramel to make the dessert festive.

*Break leftover pieces of pound cake into small pieces and serve another time topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream.

**A scoop 1-3/4-inches in diameter is equivalent to a #20 scoop.