Turkey- Tastes Better From Scratch
Mashed Potatoes- Gimmie Some Oven
Gravy
Cranberry relish
Drink Apple pie punch
Cranberry Fluff- Mel's kitchen cafe
Rolls
Corn
Sweet Potatoes
Stuffing
Green Beans with Bacon
Pie
Easy, No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey
Foolproof Thanksgiving Turkey recipe that packs all of the flavor and juiciness you expect from the perfect roasted turkey, with none of the stress! Step by step for how to cook the perfect turkey.
Servings: 16
Calories: 576kcal
Ingredients
- 1 12-20 pound turkey*
- 1 onion , peeled and quartered
- 1 lemon , quartered
- 1 apple (your favorite kind), quartered
- .75 ounce container fresh rosemary*
- .75 ounce container fresh thyme*
- .75 ounce container fresh sage*
For the herb butter:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6-8 cloves garlic , minced
- fresh chopped herbs
Instructions
- If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. I like to give myself 1 extra day, just to be safe.
- Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.
- Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You’ll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)
- Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
- Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
- Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
- Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.
- Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn’t need to be completely melted--just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.
- Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees.
- (I remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees. Then, I tent it with foil, and let it rest on the counter. It will continue cooking under the foil, to reach 165 degrees F.)
- ***Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.
- Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/how-to-carve-a-turkey/
- Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.
Notes
Turkey Size: if you're cooking for a smaller crowd (or just like white meat), try my Turkey Breast recipe. Herbs: to substitute dried herbs, use 1 teaspoon dried herbs per 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs.Tips for covering with tinfoil: Start with the bird uncovered. Once the skin gets golden brown, tent the bird with a large piece of tinfoil. If you have a roasting pan, you can use the lid to the roasting pan instead.For Disposable Roasting Pan: Place fresh chopped vegetables on the bottom of the pan to act as a rack to elevate the turkey. Use 4-5 ribs of celery and 4 large carrots, roughly chopped. The veggies will add great flavor for your dripping to use for gravy however I don't recommend eating them or using them in gravy.For An Electric Roasting Oven: directions stay the same!Convection Oven: You can use the same method to cook the turkey in a convection oven, just check the temperature sooner (start checking after 2 hours) as it will cook faster.How to Carve a Turkey photos and Video.
THE BEST MASHED POTATOES!
DESCRIPTION
These homemade mashed potatoes are perfectly rich and creamy, full of great flavor, easy to make, and always a crowd fave. See notes above for tips and possible recipe variations. And also, feel free to halve this recipe if you would like to make a smaller batch.
INGREDIENTS
SCALE
- 5 pounds potatoes (I use half Yukon Gold, half Russet potatoes)
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- toppings: chopped fresh chives or green onions, freshly-cracked black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the potatoes. Feel free to peel your potatoes or leave the skins on. Then cut them into evenly-sized chunks, about an inch or so thick, and transfer them to a large stockpot full of cold water.
- Boil the potatoes. Once all of your potatoes are cut, be sure that there is enough cold water in the pan so that the water line sits about 1 inch above the potatoes. Stir the garlic and 1 tablespoon sea salt into the water. Then turn the heat to high and cook until the water comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high (or whatever temperature is needed to maintain the boil) and continue cooking for about 10-12 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of a potato goes in easily with almost no resistance. Carefully drain out all of the water.
- Prepare your melted butter mixture. Meanwhile, as the potatoes are boiling, heat the butter, milk and an additional 2 teaspoons of sea salt together either in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is just melted. (You want to avoid boiling the milk.) Set aside until ready to use.
- Pan-dry the potatoes. After draining the water, immediately return the potatoes to the hot stockpot, place it back on the hot burner, and turn the heat down to low. Using two oven mitts, carefully hold the handles on the stockpot and shake it gently on the burner for about 1 minute to help cook off some of the remaining steam within the potatoes. Remove the stockpot entirely from the heat and set it on a flat, heatproof surface.
- Mash the potatoes. Using your preferred kind of potato masher (I recommend this one in general, or this one for extra-smooth), mash the potatoes to your desired consistency.
- Stir everything together. Then pour half of the melted butter mixture over the potatoes, and fold it in with a wooden spoon or spatula until potatoes have soaked up the liquid. Repeat with the remaining butter, and then again with the cream cheese, folding in each addition in until just combined to avoid over-mixing. (Feel free to add in more warm milk to reach your desired consistency, if needed.)
- Taste and season. One final time, taste the potatoes and season with extra salt if needed.
- Serve warm. Then serve warm, garnished with gravy or any extra toppings that you might like, and enjoy!
Apple Pie Punch
Total time 5 mins
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 apple chopped or sliced
1 quart apple cider
2 cups pear nectar
24 oz ginger ale
INSTRUCTIONS:
1- Combine all of the above, stir and then add apple slices
2- Pour over ice and serve.
INGREDIENTS:
1 apple chopped or sliced
1 quart apple cider
2 cups pear nectar
24 oz ginger ale
INSTRUCTIONS:
1- Combine all of the above, stir and then add apple slices
2- Pour over ice and serve.
