EASY ROASTED TURKEY W/ SAGE BUTTER

It’s turkey time!  Even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, turkeys are everywhere and
super cheap (if not outright free) for the next couple of weeks.  Which means that turkey will be on pretty much everyone’s menu at least once this month.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 - 14 lb turkey
• ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 2 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 2 small apples, quartered

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (F) and adjust your racks to fit the turkey into it.
2. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and rinse the bird inside and out. Pat dry.
3. Combine the softened butter, sage, garlic, salt and butter in a small bowl, mixing well to combine. Starting from the back of the bird, slide your fingers between the skin and breast meat, opening a cavity that extends all the way to the front and along the sides of the breast. Push the flavored butter under the skin, covering all of the meat. Do the same with the tops of the drumsticks, being careful not to pierce the skin. This is no time to be squeamish - roll up your sleeves and get in there with your fist full of butter! Then rub the remaining butter over the rest of the skin of the turkey, top and bottom.
4. Stuff the quartered lemons and apples into the cavity of the bird. If they don't all fit, throw the rest into your roasting pan.
5. Place the bird UPSIDE DOWN into the roasting pan - this protects the breast and keeps it from drying out. Roast at 400 degrees for one hour. Remove from the oven and turn over carefully. Roast right side up for another hour. Test with a meat thermometer for 165 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh. If not quite there, give it another 15 minutes and test it again. Remove from the oven and let it rest - preferably for an hour if you can.
6. While the turkey is resting, pour the pan juices into a measuring cup. Skim off 90% of the fat and then add about ½ cup of water and ½ tsp of xanthan gum (if you have it) to thicken it. Puree in a blender or magic bullet and re-heat just before serving.

NOTES

It's important to let it rest for AT LEAST half an hour before cutting into it which keeps all the juices from running out onto your cutting board and leaving you with dry meat. The apples, lemon, and sage give the pan juices a beautiful flavor, this was the best gravy I've ever made! Enjoy!

http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/11/easy-roasted-turkey-with-sage-butter.html