Monday, November 21, 2011

Just Roast It!




Roasted Turkey

Prep time: 20 minutes
Preheat: 425º
Cook time: See “Turkey Notes”

1 Turkey
1 apple, quartered 
¼ cup sage leaves
As needed unsalted butter
To taste Sea salt
To taste Black pepper, freshly ground
½ - 1 pound Carrots, cut into large pieces
½ - 1 pound Celery, cut into large pieces
2 –3 large onions cut into large pieces
2 cups Chicken stock
1 1/4 cups apple cider
1. Clean and prepare the turkey: 
(If you brined your turkey, remove from brine and rinse with cold water and pat dry. Giblets will already have been removed)
-Remove neck and giblets from inside bird cavity and discard.
-Remove excess skin and fat from turkey. 
-Rinse turkey, inside and out, in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
-Place apple and sage leaves inside the turkey.
-Tie together turkey legs, if desired, and tuck wing tips under.
-Brush entire turkey with melted butter and sprinkle generously with sea salt and black pepper.
2. Place turkey and vegetables in the roasting pan:
-Place rack in the center of roasting pan.
-Put turkey squarely onto rack.
-Add carrots, celery and onions and distribute on bottom of roasting pan.
-Add stock and cider.
-Put meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh.
3. Roast:
-Place turkey in preheated 425º oven with the legs pointed towards the rear of the oven (if possible).
-Reduce oven temperature to 350º after 20-35 minutes.
-Cook until turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165º in the thigh (keep in mind the more you open and close the oven, the longer things will take to cook).
Serve:
-Let the turkey rest a minimum of 30 minutes uncovered
-Carve and serve.

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