Herb Roasted Turkey Platter
The first time I roasted a whole turkey, I called my mom twice, set three different oven timers, and still managed to convince myself it was undercooked when it was not. Turkey was not part of the vocabulary where I grew up, but this is a dish I have made my own over the years, and the herb butter under the skin is what changed everything: I had been basting with plain butter and wondering why the skin never looked like the ones in the magazines, and once someone mentioned running herb butter under the skin that particular mystery was solved. My mom, who had been politely skeptical about the whole turkey situation for years, had seconds the first time I served it to her, and I will be honest: that felt like a proper win.
Herb Roasted Turkey Platter
A whole bird roasted low and slow under a thick blanket of sage butter, until the skin turns a deep, crackly gold. The kind of turkey that makes everyone find reasons to wander into the kitchen.
Ingredients
For the sage butter
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp fine sea salt
° tsp black pepper
For the turkey
1 whole turkey, 12-14 lbs, thawed
Fine sea salt and black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
1 small bunch fresh sage
2 medium onions, quartered
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
Instructions
Take the turkey out of the fridge an hour before roasting. A cold bird goes into a hot oven and comes out uneven, this part matters.
Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C).
Make the sage butter: mix the softened butter with the chopped sage, minced garlic, thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper until well combined.
Pat the turkey completely dry with paper towels. Season the inside of the cavity generously with salt and pepper.
Carefully slide your fingers under the skin over the breast and thighs, loosening it from the meat. Work as much sage butter as you can underneath the skin, pressing it flat from the outside.
Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the bird.
Stuff the cavity loosely with the lemon halves, garlic head, and fresh sage bunch.
Scatter the onions, celery, and carrots in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Set the turkey on top, breast-side up, and pour the stock into the pan.
Roast uncovered for 3 to 3° hours, roughly 15 minutes per pound. Baste with the pan juices every 45 minutes.
If the skin is browning too fast, tent it loosely with foil.
The turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, reads 165°F (74°C).
Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. This step is not negotiable.
Hi, I'm Sarina!
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