Tag Archives | defrosting a turkey

Herb Roasted Turkey

Thanksgiving Recipes

Herb Roasted Turkey

Ingredients:

  1. Turkey, 1 10-20 pound frozen turkey,  read below about selecting the right turkey for you, and defrosting the turkey
  2. butter- 1/2 cup (1 stick), softened
  3. dried thyme, rosemary and sage- 1 tbspn each
  4. Onion- 1 large, quartered
  5. celery- 3 leafy stalks
  6. fresh rosemary sprigs
  7. roasting bag- 1 large
  8. roasting pan- 1 large

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Mix together softened butter, thyme, rosemary and sage.
  3. Wash turkey, and pat dry.
  4. Rub outside of turkey with butter mixture; use hands to massage all over.
  5. Place onion slices, celery stalks, and fresh rosemary sprigs inside of turkey.
  6. I prefer to use a turkey roasting bag and disposable roasting pan.  Place turkey breast side up inside of roasting bag then place in roasting pan (don’t tie bag, simply fold ends over).
  7. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes per pound and until thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees F (for a 12 pound turkey this would be 3 hours.
  8. Baste turkey with pan drippings every 30 minutes.
  9. For the last thirty minutes of cooking remove turkey from bag by cutting bag open and pulling out so that turkey can get crispy brown on the outside

Let’s Talk Turkey

Stuffed Turkey vs. Un-Stuffed Turkey

I’ve never been a stuffing-in-the-turkey person; so instead, I take fresh herbs like sage, thyme and rosemary with leafy stalks of celery and onion halves to stuff in my turkey before baking.

Fresh Turkey vs. Frozen Turkey

According to whatscookingamerica.net a frozen turkey may be fresher than a fresh turkey.  Frozen turkeys have been flash frozen immediately after being butchered while the “fresh” turkeys can sit in stores for days.

 

 

 

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