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| Ingredients|
1 Defrosted Turkey (Mine was 11.5 Pounds)
Salt and Pepper
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Herb Butter:
2 Sticks Softened Butter (16 Tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Sage, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme, Chopped
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Chopped
Salt and Pepper
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Stuffing:
1 Large Onion, Peeled and Cut in Half
2 Sticks Celery, Chopped
Fresh Sage and Thyme (Use leftover stems from herb butter as well)
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2 Cups Chicken Stock
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| Instructions|
Remove defrosted turkey from refrigerator 30 minutes before prepping. Remove inner bag with neck, gizzard, and other organs. You can do what you want with them. I discard them.
Pat turkey dry using paper towel. Using your hands, gently lift skin on the front and back of the turkey. Gently slide your hand under the skin, separating the skin from the meat without tearing it.
Season liberally with salt and pepper. Also season the inner cavity of the turkey.
Stuff inner cavity of turkey with vegetables. You can use anything you have on hand. I use onion, celery, sage, thyme, and sometimes carrot if there is enough room.
Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together, slightly overlapping them to ensure even cooking.
Herb Butter:
In a bowl mix together softened butter, chopped thyme, chopped sage, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Be sure not to over chop the herbs. Over chopping will leave a lot of the flavor on the cutting board instead of your herb butter!
Take a large amount of the herb butter, place it underneath the skin of the turkey, and using your hands on the outside of the turkey, spread the herb butter around. I use half the herb butter under the skin and the remaining half on the outside. Massage the butter onto the entire outside of the turkey, front and back.
Fold wings underneath the turkey as shown in the video to prevent burning.
Gently place turkey breast side down in a roasting pan fitted with a wire rack. Add chicken stock to the bottom of the pan. This creates a steam inside the oven that helps keep the turkey moist!
Adjust oven rack to the lower third of the oven.
Place turkey in a preheated 425 degree F oven, legs first, and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. The bigger your turkey is, the longer you should leave it in. You are looking for a golden color to develop on the back of the turkey.
Once the golden color has been achieved, gently flip turkey onto its back. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Baste and return to oven this time neck end first. Baste every 15 minutes.
The cook time all DEPENDS on how big your turkey is. NEVER go by time, ALWAYS go by temperature. The temperate should be a MINIMUM of 165 degrees F on the inner most part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. Keep in mind the turkey will continue to cook even after it is out of the oven! You may cook your turkey to a higher temperate, but I believe 165 degrees is plenty and will result in a perfectly moist turkey!
Once cooked, remove turkey and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes. Your turkey will not get cold! If you would like, cover lightly with aluminum foil until ready to serve.
 Salt and Pepper =============== Herb Butter : 2 Sticks Softened Butter (16…){kind=link}