For our friendsgiving I made a beautiful and delicious roast turkey. It was seriously magazine worthy, just ask my husband! The only problem? I did all that work and then didn’t get a good picture of it! So, until I make another one (which will be soon) you get a picture of a plate. Just imagine a beautiful piece of turkey on it.
The turkey is the most important part of the Thanksgiving meal! Dry turkey is always remembered no matter how good the side dishes were. Trust me, I have had my share of dry turkey. After asking my parents, who make amazing turkey, reading magazines and cookbooks, watching cooking shows and trying recipes I think I have finally come up with my favorite roast turkey recipe. Fortunately it is one of the easiest versions I have tried. Sometimes simple is best.
Roast Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 16 lb turkey, thawed
- 1 stick softened butter or equivalent ghee
- Zest & juice of one medium lemon
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 TBS poultry seasoning no salt added
- 2 tsp salt
- MSG free cajun seasoning
- 1 large onion chopped in chunks
- 3 carrots chopped in chunks
- 4 stalks of celery chopped in chunks
- 3 cups water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place roughly chopped veggies, and 3 cups water in the bottom of your roasting pan along with the neck and giblets. These will serve as a trivet for your turkey and a good base for your gravy.
Next, place butter in a bowl and add lemon zest & juice (do not discard the lemon), garlic, poultry seasoning, & salt. Mix until combined. Place the turkey on the veggies in the roasting pan and pat fry with a paper towel. Spread herb butter all over the turkey being sure to get in the crevices and on the legs. Lightly sprinkle cajun seasoning all over the turkey. Place lemon (minus the zest and juice) in the cavity of the bird.
Roast turkey, uncovered for 30 minutes (you may baste during this 30 minutes only) then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and continue to roast. Tent with foil if the skin is turning too dark. Roast until a thermometer placed in thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees (about 2-3 hours total). The juices of the turkey should be clear when thermometer is removed. If you have a smaller or larger turkey you will need to adjust the cooking time. Tent with foil and let the turkey rest for at least 1-2 hours before serving.
Jamie Oliver has some amazing tips on carving a turkey like a pro. I highly recommend the second method. I used it and it was beautiful!
I also love his gravy recipe – so easy and as the name says, consistently good. I used arrowroot powder as my thickener instead of flour.
