1 Video | Photo: Perfect Roast Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 fresh turkey (10 to 12 pounds)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch fresh thyme
- 1 whole lemon, halved
- 1 Spanish onion, quartered
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.
Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.
Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
Slice the turkey and serve.
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By Nutmeg04222
Durham, ME
on January 25, 2013
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I can only give this recipe 3 stars. For one thing, the posted recipe method is quite different from the video, which I realized was there AFTER I put my turkey in the oven. Ina puts room temp butter and herb mixture under the skin, she doesn't melt it and baste as this recipe calls for. The juices were wonderful but the meat, like some earlier posters mentioned was no different. My fresh thyme ended up being burnt on the outside of my turkey. The video doesn't even mention the lemon juice that is listed in the recipe. I think this might have been a 5 star recipe for me if done as the video but as listed here, other than the gravy drippings, the turkey was no different tasting than any other I've tried.
By SSweets99
on January 01, 2013
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This was a great simple recipe for me (first time cooking turkey & it turned out great!
By LaurenVan
on December 30, 2012
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A nice simple recipe. I wouldn't use a roasting rack, I lost too much of the juices. However, a good bit of chicken stock in the pan helped out. I was able to make a nice dark gravy from the drippings and burnt bits, though.
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