roasted turkey

I am the crazy person who thinks roasting a turkey is easy.  Maybe that is because for many years I cooked two on Thanksgiving.  One for the store my Beloved managed and one for home.  He liked this Thanksgiving holiday.  He did not have to work any of it!

So how do I do it.  I listened to a radio show over twenty years ago in New Orleans and have been doing it this way since.

Roasted Turkey

1 turkey or turkey breast, thawed

1 pound softened butter

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 clove to one head minced garlic

1/2 to 1 minced onion

1 tablespoon rosemary or to taste

1 tablespoon sage or to taste

1 tablespoon thyme or to taste.

1 orange, sliced

1 apples, sliced

1 onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a bowl, put butter, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme.

Mix together.

Rinse the turkey.  Make sure the giblets are taken out if you are using a whole turkey.  With the breast side up, put the turkey in your roasting pan (or in this case, very large cast iron skillet).  Work you fingers betweent he skin and the meat.  You are creating a pocket.  In this pocket, you are going to put as much of the butter mixture as you possible can.  I smear what I cannot fit or clean my hands off on the outer skin.

If I am using a whole turkey, I put the orange, apple, and onion inside the cavity and the extra around it.  A breast of turkey, I put the orange, apple, and onion around.

Put the turkey in the oven.  Close the door.  Turn the heat down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Roast for 20 minutes a pound.  Keep the door of the oven closed.  Do not baste.  Do not fuss.  

My turkey comes out every time.  The key is the butter and having a thawed turkey.

Sorry there are no pictures of it roasted.  I was dealing with rabbit and making tortillas at that point!