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COMMENT:
When buying a turkey you should plan on roughly one pound per person
uncooked. Remember to buy the turkey early enough to allow it to
defrost in the refrigerator for approximately 2 days prior to roasting.
If this is your first roasted turkey, relax. You could not have
a better recipe to work from! Always plan on placing the turkey
in the oven, calculating the time necessary for the turkey to rest
30-45 minutes prior to carving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 (15-pound) turkey
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- granulated garlic to taste
- 1/4 pound butter softened
- 2 tbsps garlic, minced
- 6 basil leaves
- 4 cups onions, diced
- 2 cups celery, diced
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 3 oranges, quartered
- 8 whole cloves garlic
- paprika for color
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the packet of giblets, which
are normally packed in the neck cavity at the front of the turkey
and covered with the neck skin. If a wire retainer is holding the
legs in place, take care and remove it prior to seasoning the bird.
Rinse turkey well, inside and out, with cold water. Place the bird
in a baking pan and season generously, inside and out, using salt,
pepper and granulated garlic. Extra seasoning should be placed on
the inside cavity since the bone structure will prevent the majority
of this seasoning from reaching the meat. Blend butter and garlic
and rub under the breast skin of the turkey until all is used up.
Place 3 basil leaves, in a decorative fashion, under the skin on
each side of the breast. The leaves will show up nicely when the
turkey is cooked. Place approximately 1/2 of the onions, celery,
carrots, oranges and garlic on the inside of the bird, and place
the remaining 1/2 around the bird in the pan. Squeeze juice of 2
orange quarters over the turkey breast. Sprinkle paprika lightly
across the breast and leg portions and rub evenly for color. This
will assist in even browning. Tie the legs in place using butcher’s
twine, then cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake
for approximately 3 1/2 hours, then remove foil and check for doneness.
The bird is done when the legs pull away easily from the body and
the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F. The aluminum foil
covering will allow the bird to cook evenly and retain moisture
without over-browning. Once done, remove cover and allow turkey
to brown evenly, approximately 1/2 hour. When done, allow bird to
rest 1 hour prior to slicing. The bird may be served with its natural
drippings, or the juices may be strained and thickened with a light
roux. Normally, a turkey will require a cooking time of 12-15 minutes
per pound. However, ovens differ and you should check 30 minutes
prior to your calculations.
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