| Roast Turkey
1 (12 to 14 pound) turkey
1 medium onion, quartered
1 lemon quartered
1 head garlic, root end cut off
Rosemary, and bay leaves (3)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (a little less than 1 stick), melted
(squeeze some lemon juice into melted butter).
Adjust a rack to lowest position and remove other racks. Preheat oven to
450 degrees F. Remove turkey parts from neck and breast cavities. Dry
bird well with paper towels, inside and out. Salt and pepper inside the
breast cavity and stuff the onion, lemon, garlic, rosemary and bay leaves inside.
Set the bird on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; breast side up and
brush generously with half the butter and season with salt and pepper
and rosemary. Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
Insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to
oven, reducing temperature to 325 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if
available) to 161 degrees. A 12 to 14 pound bird should require a total
about 2 1/2 hours of roasting, plan on 15 minutes per pound. Let turkey rest, loosely covered
with foil, for 20
minutes before carving. 2:40 pm |