12 - 14# Turkey
Onions
Celery
Carrots
Garlic
Fresh rosemary, sage, parsley
1 stick butter
1/3 c Crisco
Herb flavored Chicken Broth (or regular broth + dried herbs) Cheesecloth
soaks in dried herbs and an additional stick of butter Flavor injector
1. preheat oven as hot as it will go
2. Loosen the skin of the turkey. Stuff some of the fresh herbs under the
skin of the without breaking the skin 3. Salt and pepper turkey inside and
out 4. Stuff cavity with onions, carrots, garlic and celery and fresh
herbs. Also stuff vegetables and herbs under the flap of skin at the neck.
Use a bamboo skewer to close the neck cavity.
5. Melt butter and Crisco together, Mix in dried herbs Use the injector
to put some of the . mixture into the turkey -- pour the rest over top of
turkey.
6. Put turkey in roasting pan on a roasting rack breast side down and brown
for 15 minutes in very hot oven. Flip turkey over (get help!) and brown top
for 15 min. more.
7. Sprinkle tops with dried herbs and cover with butter soaked cheesecloth
(three layers)Add 1 can chicken broth to bottom of pan.
8. Lower temp to 325 degrees. Cook turkey as directed -- subtracting about
1/2 hour from total cooking time. Baste over cheese cloth a few times --
but not too often.
9. Use a meat thermometer to judge when turkey is done. breast meat should
read about 180 degrees -- Thigh at about 165. Remove cheesecloth about 1/2
hour before you think the turkey is done to crisp skin.
10. Allow turkey to rest for 1/2 hour before carving.
Use drippings to make gravy -- thicken with a butter/flour roux and thin
with chicken broth.
