Roasted Herb Turkey


Roasted Herb Turkey
Originally uploaded by jamileslie

Ingredients

1 16- to 18-pound turkey, neck and giblets reserved for gravy
Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)
Fresh sage sprigs (optional)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
4 teaspoons salt

Make turkey:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Place on rack in roasting pan. Sprinkle cavities with salt and pepper. If not stuffing turkey, place rosemary and sage sprigs in main cavity. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into main cavity.

Melt butter in saucepan. Mix in chopped rosemary, sage, orange peel, pepper and salt. Brush herb butter over turkey. Tuck wing tips under turkey; tie legs together to hold shape. Roast turkey 1 hour. Baste with pan juices. Continue roasting turkey until thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180°F, basting every 20 minutes, about 2 3/4 hours longer if unstuffed or about 3 1/4 hours longer if stuffed.

Ref: Epicurious

Third year running using this recipe. Great flavor, meat was moist and tender (although I personally really hate both those words, they do describe this accurately) I don’t use stuffing in my turkey, I thinking it soaks out all the flavor. And while you’ll getting awesome stuffing that way, why take away from the main course? :) So I stuff the cavity with sprigs of rosemary and sage and a tad of the butter herb mixture. Side note, when basting a turkey, don’t leave the baster tip too long on the bottom of the hot pan trying to suck up the turkey drippings… or it might melt together and close off the tip of the baster… lol, Not that I would know from personal experience or anything………… 😀

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