What an experience! Roasting a turkey definitely takes time, and it’s exhausting. I have major respect for the people who plan, cook, and serve this dish every year without help—you are my new heroes.
By the time my turkey was finally roasted, I was exhausted but incredibly satisfied, savoring one of the best dishes I’ve ever made. It was so good that I even forgot to take a picture of the finished plate (rookie mistake!).
One important tip: when buying a turkey to roast, it’s usually frozen. Your best friend in thawing a turkey is time. It must be done in the refrigerator, not left out on the counter, where bacteria can grow and potentially cause food poisoning. Stick to the safe route!
If your fridge is around 40°F, it will defrost about 4 pounds of turkey per day, so make sure to plan ahead. For more details, check out Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well by Sam Sifton.
For a juicier Turkey, you can go to our Brine recipe here.
For this recipe, I went with Sam Sifton’s herb-roasted turkey. He has several options, from deep frying to smoke-roasting and even grilling. I chose the herb roast because it called for a generous amount of butter. If you know me, you know I can’t live without dairy—even though it doesn’t love me back. I’m both lactose-intolerant and allergic, but I don’t care; I’m just that committed!
Another essential consideration is the roasting time, which can vary depending on your oven. Make sure to monitor it carefully.
You need to start your oven at 425°F, place your turkey inside for 30 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 325°F. Roast the whole turkey for approximately 15 minutes per pound. Use a good-quality thermometer, and when the thigh temperature reaches 165°F, remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest. In his book, Sam mentions covering the turkey with aluminum foil and tenting it for 30 minutes to rest at room temperature. I forgot this step, though, so what can we do? My turkey was super juicy with the brine; I’m not sure how much juicier it would have been with the step I missed.
I highly recommend you read Sam Sifton’s book. What I’m sharing here is the minimum information that you will find. It is full of knowledge, including descriptions of the types of turkeys, how to carve a turkey, and a copious amount of side recipes. He has it all.
Herby and Buttery Turkey Roast
Course: MainDifficulty: Medium15
minutes30
minutes30
minutes15 min
per poundIngredients
A Turkey that will fit in your oven
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons of Kosher Salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary needles, minced (Be careful with the amount of rosemary, it’s a strong taste. You can lower the quantity if you’d prefer.
Zest of 1 lemon
1 orange cut in quarts
1 onion cut in quarts
1 lemon cut in quarts
1 cup of turkey stock
Directions
- Heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pat dry your turkey with paper towels.
- In a bowl, mix the softened butter, herbs, salt, pepper and the zest.
- Rub the butter ALL over the turkey. Including the cavity.
- Insert the onion, lemon and orange inside the cavity in ratio of onion, orange, lemon, onion, orange, lemon, until everything is inside the cavity. Make sure the legs are tied up.
- Place turkey in roasting pan and add one cup of turkey stock to the roasting pan.
- Place turkey in oven for 30 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Reduce temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Baste the turkey with the pan juices and set timer for 30 minutes.
Every 30 minutes baste your turkey with the pan juices. Test the temperature of the thickest part of the thigh with a meat thermometer. Make sure it doesn’t touch the bone.
Sam Sifton says you have to make sure the thigh is at 165 degrees. I recommend you remove the turkey from the oven when the thermometer hits 160 degrees. When the turkey rests, the temperature will rise in the thigh, and you’ll make sure it’s not overcooked. - Remove turkey from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes. Cover with tin foil and let it rest until you serve it.
Recipe Video
Notes
- This is an interpretation of Sam Sifton’s recipe for Fresh Bread Dressing found in his book, Thanksgiving, How To Cook It Well. For his recipe, please go buy his book, IT’S WORTH IT!
