Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter

Show: Barefoot ContessaEpisode: Thanksgiving 2.0

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (50)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(50)

Cook Time:
3 hr 15 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
8 servings

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: 20 min
Cook: 3 hr 15 min
Total:: 3 hr 45 min

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Ingredients

1 (12 to 14-pound) fresh turkey, with giblets removed
3 ounces white truffle butter, at room temperature
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Large bunch fresh thyme
1 large onion, unpeeled and cut in eighths
1 whole head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
Good olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Drain any juices from the turkey and place it on a flat rack in a large, shallow roasting pan. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.

Working from the large cavity end, gently run your fingers between the skin and the meat to loosen the skin, taking care not to tear the skin. (Be careful not to do this with rings on your fingers!) Place the softened butter under the skin and gently massage the skin to spread the butter evenly over the whole breast.

Sprinkle the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Place half of the thyme sprigs in the cavity along with the onion and garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tie 1 length of string around the bird and the wings to keep the wings close to the body.

Brush the turkey with olive oil, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Remove 1 tablespoon of thyme leaves from the stems, chop them, and sprinkle on the turkey. Roast the turkey for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until an instant-read thermometer placed in the center of the breast registers 160 degrees F. If you want the skin to be crisp, don't baste the turkey at all! About halfway through, when the breast is golden brown, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the skin from burning.

Remove from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Carve and serve with the pan juices.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter
Arlington Davie, FL 12-27-2009
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Best Turkey ever!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Am from The Bahamas and a big Fan of your show my wife and I watch it every sunday morning while cooking Sunday dinner. I... tried your recipe withou the truffle instead i made mixed the butter with tarragon, sage and fresh parsley and put it under the skin of the turkey. It was the most moist delicious Turkey i hav ever eaten in my life. We were big fans before but now you are my idol. keep doing what you do. Your biggest fans in The BahamasRead more
recipe Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter
B Denver, CO 12-25-2009
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Glorious Bird!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe was a huge success. I had a year old store-brand turkey sitting in the freezer that I decided to use for... thanksgiving. I didn't have any truffle butter, so I used a jar of white truffle cream that I had sitting around and I mixed it with butter. Truffle butter in these parts costs 48 bucks a pound. We've never had such a moist, flavorful bird! I did include rosemary and sage with the thyme, as that is our traditional flavor, and I did add an apple and lemon slices with the other ingredients in the cavity for more flavor. The turkey roasted up to golden brown perfection with picture perfect, crispy skin, and the pan drippings made the all-time best gravy. Seriously, I've been roasting turkeys for gazillions of years, and this was the best ever (and the least stressful). It's now Christmas, and I am doing the same recipe, with a NEW bird (hah!), and I am kicking up the truffle, by using white truffle oil on top of the skin as well. We stuck with the truffle cream idea, as it worked so well. Of course, that's still expensive too.... I do wonder about using Alton Brown's idea of starting the bird at 500 degrees for 30 minutes, but that will have to wait for another day.Read more
recipe Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter
Sherry Los Angeles, CA 12-20-2009
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Super Moist
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

My family said that this was the best turkey I ever made at Thanksgiving and this was from two sons who never talk about the... turkey, only the sides. I had never cooked with truffle butter before but it really was delicious. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is because it was so difficult for me to loosen the skin and get the butter under without tearing it. I tore it a little but it seemed to be okay...just caused some Thanksgiving morning anxiety.Read more
recipe Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter
Sharon Fairfield, CA 12-04-2009
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Love it! Love it! Love it!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This made our Thanksgiving!!! Had never had truffle butter before but found black truffle butter (it was all the store had)... and the flavors of the butter, thyme, onion, whole garlic and olive oil just BURSTS in your mouth! I have been preparing and cooking turkey many ways traditional and otherwise and have to say this was magnificent! Every bite was moist and juicy! We made the next day turkey salad from the breast meat and it was unbelievably fantastic! and with the juices from the turkey we made gravy that was heavenly. Wow! Ina - this is a keeper!!! Read more
recipe Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter
Laurie Lyons, CO 12-04-2009
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Best turkey my family has ever had
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I couldn't find truffle butter so I bought truffle oil and mixed about 2 tblsp in with the 3 tblsp of butter. It worked... great. Truly the best, as voted by my family (some tough voters in that group).Read more
recipe Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter
anne agoura hills, CA 12-01-2009
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very good...my go to turkey recioe now
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Ina you always pull it off. I agree that the smell of the raw truffle butter was a little nauseating but once it started to... cook it was heavenly. Big hit on turkey day. Thanks Ina Read more