TASTY TUESDAY: How To Roast The Perfect Turkey

Thanksgiving is coming in hot and like yourself, we're in the process of whipping out a delightful dinner for our loved ones. If you've been assigned the lovely task of cooking your dinner table's centerpiece this year, be prepared to achieve turkey perfection! We teamed up with mother-daughter duo, Elizabeth and Sarah of Kiwi and Carrot, to share how they roast a flawless Thanksgiving Turkey that will leave your dinner guests feeling amazed and happily full. Keep scrolling to see their step by step recipe and let us know what you think!

Need more recipe ideas for this Thanksgiving? Head on over to these links to see @kiwiandcarrot's other delightful dinner recipes.

- Blue Cheese and Bacon Mashed Potatoes 

- Sweet Cornbread Stuffing

The Perfect Turkey Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Yield: 14-16

Ingredients

• One 12-14 lb. turkey
• Two yellow onions
• 6 large carrots
• 6 stalks celery
• 2-3 cups each of fresh rosemary, thyme, parsley
• 1-2 cups fresh sage
• Butter
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 6 pieces thick-cut bacon
• 5 cups chicken stock

Directions

1. Remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey and either reserve to make gravy or discard. (The giblets are usually found in a small sack inside the bird.)
2. Roughly chop carrots, celery and onions...when I say "roughly," I mean just chop them all in thirds or fourths...and place them in the bottom of a large roasting pan. This becomes the "bed" for your bird. Add copious amount of FRESH rosemary, thyme, parsley and sage to the veggie bed. Place the turkey on top of this heap-o-goodness! Then stuff the inside of the turkey full of more fresh herbs.
3. Stuff a few tablespoons of butter between the skin and the meat of the turkey and baste generously with EVOO (that's extra virgin olive oil.) Season the whole bird with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Lay five or six pieces of bacon across the top of the turkey. (This can all be prepared the day before! Just cover and put in the fridge overnight.)
4. Pour about 5 cups of chicken stock into the pan, over the veggies and herbs.
5. Roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, and then cover the turkey and turn the heat down to 350. Roast for another 2 1/2 hours (approx.) or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees, drizzling butter or oil over the whole bird. (Can we stop here for a moment and say that it's really, really, really a great idea to have a good thermometer?! Turkeys are tough birds to figure out without one.) This timing works great for a 12-14-lb. turkey. If yours is larger or smaller, you'll want to adapt the time a bit. During the last 20 minutes, remove the foil.
6. Strain the juices into a pot, and let the turkey rest for 30 minutes or so. This keeps it nice and moist, and allows you to make some killer GRAVY to go with it! ***NEWS FLASH: Easy, Delicious Turkey Gravy is coming next. Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode!

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