A golden, tender roasted turkey has been the centrepiece of Thanksgiving meals for years! This citrus-herb butter roasted turkey is both easy and elegant. Using high-quality ingredients, the flavor in your cooking will stand out, and I’m sure it’s going to be one heck of a feast for the family.
Ingredients:
- 14-16 pounds turkey. thawed
- 1/2 large orange, cut in two wedges
- 1 lemon, cut in quarters
- 1/2 large apple, cut in two wedges
- 1 garlic head, cut in half
- 5 sprigs of sage
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 5 sprigs thyme
- kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 1 large navel orange, juiced and zested
- 1 large lemon, juiced and zested
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 tbsp chopped thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
Procedure:
For the butter:
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir together thoroughly. Once done, set aside.
For the turkey:
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Rinse the turkey inside and out. Pat the skin dry and place in a roasting rack inside a large roasting pan. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the orange, lemon, apple, garlic and herbs. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey.
- Carefully loosen the skin by running your hand between the skin and the breast meat working your way down to the leg. Take 1/4 of the butter mixture and rub it, thoroughly, under the skin over the breast and leg meat, being sure to coat as much of the turkey as possible. Repeat on the opposite side and then coat the remaining butter mixture over the skin being sure to cover the entire turkey.
- Sprinkle the breast and legs of the turkey with salt and pepper and tie the legs of the turkey together with kitchen twine.
- Roast the turkey on the lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees in the oven for 30 minutes and then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees and insert the probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast. Set the alarm on the thermometer to 161 degrees. A 14-16 pound turkey takes approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting time total.
- Remove from the oven and cover with foil. Let the turkey rest for approximately 30 minutes before carving.
Everyone loves turkey for Thanksgiving! If you have any suggestions for us at Avacraft cookware, please write to us at info@avacraft.com.