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garlic herb turky in pan
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Garlic-Herb Turkey

Perfect golden-brown and juicy holiday turkey
Prep Time4 d
Cook Time3 hrs 30 mins
Total Time4 d 3 hrs 30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Garlic-Herb Turkey
Author: Chef David Rose

Ingredients

Turkey seasoning

  • 2 Tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp. dried basil
  • 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Garlic-herb butter

  • 1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme
  • 1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 medium-sized shallot minced
  • 16 oz. two sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Garlic-herb turkey

  • 1 10 lb. Omaha Steaks Whole Basted Turkey
  • Turkey seasoning recipe above
  • Garlic-herb butter recipe above
  • 1 cup large diced yellow onion
  • 1 cup large diced celery
  • 1 cup large diced carrots
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 4 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

Turkey Seasoning

  • Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Set dry seasonings and olive oil aside until ready for use.

Garlic-Herb Butter

  • Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until well-incorporated and smooth. Set aside until ready for use.

Garlic-Herb Turkey

  • Thaw turkey in fridge for 3 to 4 days in refrigerator until completely thawed. When thawed, remove turkey thermometer and plastic truss from legs. The night before you are ready to cook the turkey, allow to air dry in the refrigerator overnight by setting on a top of a wire-rack in a sheet pan.
  • When ready to cook the turkey, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove turkey from refrigerator and let it sit out until it comes to room temperature, about an hour.
  • With turkey breast facing side up, carefully separate the skin from around the turkey neck cavity and generously rub garlic-herb butter between the turkey skin and turkey breasts.
  • Rub olive oil all over turkey and season generously all over with turkey seasoning.
  • Divide vegetables equally, half of veggies go inside the turkey cavity. Tie legs together with butcher’s twine.
  • Place the other half of veggies on the bottom of the roasting pan along with chicken stock.
  • With turkey breast facing up, place in a roasting pan and use aluminum foil to wrap the wing tips to avoid burning. Place turkey in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
  • Roast turkey until digital thermometer reads 160 degrees in the turkey breast, about 3 – 3 ½ hours, basting turkey with pan juices every 30 minutes. Remove foil from the wing tips for the last hour of roasting.
  • When fully cooked, remove turkey from oven, place on sheet pan and lightly cover with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

Notes

NOTE: To make a pan gravy for the turkey, first strain the pan drippings. Reserve ½ cup of the strained droppings and bring the rest to a gentle boil in a medium-sized sauce pot. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ½ cup of reserved pan droppings until fully incorporated. Slowly add cornstarch and drippings mixture to boiling sauce pot, whisking until it reaches the appropriate gravy consistency. Seasonal to taste with salt and ground black pepper, as needed.