Herb Roasted Turkey

Make sure to thaw your turkey if it’s frozen. Place it in the refrigerator 5 days before you are planning on cooking it. Make sure to check it the day before, to make sure it is really close to being thawed! If you don’t have that much time, or if the turkey is still frozen just before you want to cook it, place it, wrapper on, in a big bowl or pot of water for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Unwrap the turkey, remove all of the innards and giblets and wash it well. Place your thawed turkey into a large turkey roasting pan that has a wire rack placed in it. The bird should not sit on the bottom of the pan.

Place all of the ingredients, except the turkey, into your food processor and run it until everything is minced into a paste. It won’t look very tasty at this point, but wait until you smell it!

Slather the garlic/herb/onion paste under the skin, on the outside of the skin, and in the cavity of your turkey. I also brush olive oil on the outside of the bird, to help it brown well. I usually don’t cook with olive oil, because it is unstable at high temperatures, but we don’t eat the skin (plus you’re only using a little bit). Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the bird, without touching any bones. See related blog post for step-by-step photos.

Bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the thermometer reads 170 F (180 F for the thigh). Remove from oven. Let the turkey sit, loosely covered with a sheet of tin foil, for about 15 minutes before carving it. Enjoy!