The Thanksgiving countdown has begun. It is time to plan your menu, buy your ingredients and get your hands dirty. Thru out the month of November I will be post different Thanksgiving recipes on here and my website www.chefwithaheart.com. The recipes will be some of your favorites with a healthy low sodium twist. The first recipe is .... Turkey of course! Roasting the turkey with the herb mixture gives the turkey a lot of flavor. You can mix the butter with any of your favorite herb combination just remember if using fresh herbs are always best. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Herb Butter-
I cup of unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 clove garlic minced
Turkey-
1 whole turkey (about 12 - 14 pounds), thawed if frozen, rinsed and patted dry, neck reserved (set aside giblets for stuffing, if desired)
6 large carrots, halved crosswise
2 large onions, cut into 8 wedges
3 stalks celery, halved crosswise
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the lowest position. Make herb butter: In a small bowl, mix together butter with chopped herbs, garlic and black pepper.
2) Start preparing the turkey by loosening the skin. Working from the neck end, slide fingers under skin until you reach the end of the breast, being careful not to tear the skin; rub herb butter under the skin. Place turkey breast side down. Fill neck cavity with 1/3 of vegetable mixture; avoid packing. Close up by folding skin over and fastening with skewers or trussing needles. Tuck wings: Turn turkey over; bend wing tips underneath bird so they stay in place (you may have to break the bones). Loosely fill large cavity with 1/3 of vegetable mixture. Tie legs: Using cotton kitchen twine, tie legs together securely (they will overlap) so bird retains its shape and moisture during cooking.
3) Cut neck into pieces; mix rest of vegetable mixture and 2 cups water in a large roasting pan. Set roasting rack over vegetables in pan.
4) Lift turkey onto rack and tent turkey loosely with foil. Roast 1 hour, then baste every 30 minutes with pan liquids, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 125 degrees, about 3 hours.
5) Remove foil; raise oven heat to 400 degrees. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until thigh reaches 180 degrees, 45 to 60 minutes more. Tent with foil if bird browns too quickly; add more water if pan becomes dry. Transfer turkey to a serving platter; cover loosely with foil, and let it rest at least 30 minutes before carving.
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