Dry oven-baked turkey should never leave a kitchen. The reason it happens almost every time is the lack of brining — that thirty-minute step that everyone skips because no one ever explained why it is essential. With a little salt, sugar, and patience, you are going to serve cutlets that your guests will ask for again and again.
Coming out of the oven, the crust displays that precise amber caramel color — not burnt, not pale, exactly in between. The surface is slightly glazed, with small solidified patches where the brown sugar has caramelized under the broiler. When slicing, the knife glides effortlessly, revealing white and moist meat that has nothing to do with the compact, bland cutlet one imagines when hearing the word turkey. The scent of toasted mustard and warm paprika lingers in the kitchen for a good fifteen minutes after dinner.
