THANKSGIVING ROASTED TURKEY - the best recipe

http://www.marthastewart.com/274491/how-to-roast-a-turkey/@center/276949/everything-thanksgiving


The best recipe is the Martha Stewart one. 
I didn't know how to roast a turkey. Every year we all went to my mother's for Thanksgiving, turkey, staffing, mushed potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes pie (i learn from my neighbor), apple pie, pumpkin pie, and so on!
I roasted many times chickens! I roasted a whole pork leg every Christmas, I roasted a whole lamb leg...... but, NEVER  a turkey!
I try few recipes from blogs, internet, books, but I was not happy until i found Martha's recipe. There is a video, there is a stuffing recipe, there is how to cut a turkey! Wonderful !

Ingredients
 
1 20- to 21-pound fresh whole turkey, giblets and neck removed from cavity and reserved
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), melted, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 bottle dry white wine
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 cup dry red or white wine for gravy (optional)

Tools and Materials

Cheesecloth
Pastry brush
Instant-red meat thermometer
Toothpicks

Apple-Raisin Stuffing (Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen) 

recipe follow

Rinse turkey with cool water and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.

Warm the butter and white wine together and soak a large piece of cheesecloth in it. 

Peppercorns and coarse salt season the bird. 

  Prepare the Turkey

Place rack on lowest level in oven and heat to 425 degrees.

 Place turkey breast-side-up in a roasting pan. Season inside/outside  of bird with salt and pepper.

  my NOTE. I put a whole orange inside of bird, Orange is cut in 4 quarter and i  I put bayleaves in the cut and cloves in the rind.

  

                

  

 If your turkey comes with a pop-up timer, remove it; an instant-read thermometer is a much more accurate indication of doneness.

Pull the flap of skin at the neck down and use toothpicks to fasten it. 

Rub the turkey with butter and season salt and pepper. 

Choose a heavy roasting pan with sides two to three inches high; don't use one with a nonstick surface. A roasting rack will keep the turkey from sticking to the pan.

Have melted butter and wine prepared in a bowl.

 Cover with Cheesecloth

Cover the turkey with cheesecloth that has been soaking in the butter and wine. It should cover the breast and part of the leg area.

Place turkey, legs first, in oven and roast 30 minutes at 425F.
  

 

 After first 30 minutes, brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey parts with butter mixture and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.

Keep baste the bird , every 30 minutes.

 Baste the Turkey

Every 30 minutes, use a pastry brush (better than a bulb baster) to baste the cheesecloth and exposed areas of the turkey with the butter-and-wine mixture.

 Basting should be done in the oven and as quickly as possible so the oven temperature doesn't drop.

 Watch the pan juices; spoon out and reserve them for the gravy if they are in danger of overflowing. 

 Final Roast

After the second hour of cooking, carefully remove and discard the cheesecloth; it will have turned quite brown. 

Just get cheese cloth out, the turkey is somewhat brown. 

Baste the turkey with pan juices, taking care not to tear the skin, and return it to the oven.

After another half hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone; when the temperature reaches 165 degrees, the bird is ready.

 Depend of the size of turkey.  For 20-22lb turkey, will take 1 to 2 hours more.  

My 12lb bird it took about 3 hours, total time.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Apple-Raisin Stuffing
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/apple-raisin-stuffing-recipe.html

2 chopped red onions,

2 minced garlic cloves  

 3 chopped celery stalks  

 1 stick butter

4 diced peeled apples, 

1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 

1 teaspoon aniseed and 

1 cup golden raisins;

6 cups chicken broth

top with butter or turkey pan drippings 

3 eggs,

 a scoop of grainy mustard 

 3 tablespoons each chopped parsley and tarragon.

In a large deep skillet, saute 2 chopped red onions, 2 minced garlic cloves and 3 chopped celery stalks in 1 stick butter for 1 minute.

Season with salt and pepper and add 4 diced peeled apples, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1 teaspoon aniseed and 1 cup golden raisins; cook 5 minutes.

Pour in 4 go 6 cups chicken broth. Simmer until step 5.

In a large bowl, mix 3 eggs, a scoop of grainy mustard and 3 tablespoons each chopped parsley and tarragon.

Add to the bowl 8 cups each toasted pumpernickel and sourdough bread cubes and the hot broth mixture.

Gently toss the stuffing, then spread in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Dot the top with butter or turkey pan drippings, cover and bake 30 minutes at 350. Uncover and bake until golden, 20 more minutes.