Perfect Turkey
Ingredients:
1 whole turkey, thawed
Black pepper
Garlic salt
Butter (about 2 sticks)
Vegetables - Amounts may vary. Use enough to fill the inside of your turkey
Onions, cut into large chunks
Carrots, cut into large chunks
Celery, cut into large chunks
Garlic, whole cloves
Fresh rosemary (optional)
White wine (optional)
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove giblets from the turkey's cavity. Wash turkey well in cold water and allow water to drain from turkey for several minutes. Place breast-side up turkey on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. If the turkey is not too large, you can use a broiler pan and rack.
Season the inside cavity of the turkey well with black pepper and garlic salt. Stuff the cavity with chunks of butter, cut onions, cloves of garlic, celery and carrots. If you have some fresh rosemary, this can be added too and gives a great flavor and smell. You can also add a few tablespoons of some white wine into the cavity for added zest!
Melt a stick of butter and brush all over the turkey's exterior. Season well with garlic salt and pepper.
Take small pieces of foil and wrap around the wing and leg tips. This will keeps these from charring before the rest of the turkey is done. Do not cover the rest of the turkey. No need to baste; the turkey self-baste.
Place turkey in oven and bake until internal temperatures reach 180 - 185 degrees F. The time will vary with your oven and the size of your turkey, but a general rule is approximately 15 minutes per pound for a conventional oven. Refer to your owner's manual or a cookbook to be sure.
Remove the foil wraps around wings and legs the last hour or so of roasting.