Whole-Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey With Honey And Sage

Ingredients:

For the Turkey:

1 16 lb. turkey, neck and giblets removed – if frozen, let sit on the counter for an hour to thaw
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
5 cloves garlic
1 lemon, halved
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
8-10 fresh sage leaves

For the glaze:

1 cup Madhava Natural Sweeteners Organic Pure & Raw Honey
1/2 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced

Overview

If there’s ever a time that you want a super simple recipe, it’s on Thanksgiving when you have a dozen friends and family showing up at your door, ready to feast on your perfectly-cooked turkey. And since your Thanksgiving turkey will be taking center stage on your table, you want this super simple recipe to also look like it was ordered out of a catalog, with a flavor that’s absolutely divine.

That’s not too much to ask for, right?

That’s where this recipe for a Whole-Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey with Honey and Sage comes in handy. With a little prep, a lot of love, and steady basting, you’ll have the recipe that guests are gushing over for years to come – and no one needs to know how easy it is to make!

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Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and move the rack to the lower third of an oven to make room for your turkey.
Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper, place rosemary, garlic cloves and lemon halves inside the body cavity, and truss the turkey.
Carefully slide your hand under the skin, moving slowly so you don’t tear the skin. Spread the butter all over the turkey breast, both on top of and underneath the skin, then slide the sage leaves under the skin.
Place turkey in roasting pan and transfer to the oven.
While turkey begins to cook, prepare the glaze: set a small saucepan over medium heat and add the organic honey and butter, stirring occasionally until melted. Stir in garlic and sage.
After 1 hour of roasting, begin basting the turkey with the glaze. Cover turkey loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the breast from browning too quickly. Continue roasting, basting with glaze every 20 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone, registers 165°F, and inserted into the thigh registers 175°F – about 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours more. Total roasting time should be 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.
Remove from oven and transfer to a platter. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving and serving.

pairs well with...