Oven Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I simply adore it! We have a tradition of having a light lunch at our house and dinner with my childhood best friend Sydney and her entire family. There is something so comforting about being with your loved ones on this special holiday and treasuring each moment spent together. The turkey in this recipe is 12 lbs. and it took us 4.5 – 5hours to roast. It really depends on the size and on the oven, so make sure you keep on eye and check up on it! If there are a lot of left overs, make turkey soup the following day. It’s so delicious and its easy to freeze for the winter.

Oven Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

Serves 10

INGREDIENTS

• 1 12-pound organic turkey, giblets removed, washed and dried
• 8 root carrots, the smaller kind
• 6 shallots, peeled
• 20 baby potatoes
• 1 tbsp gluten free flour (to dust the bag with)
• 1 oven bag
• salt & pepper to taste

For Cavity:

• 1 lemon, cut in 4 pieces
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3-4 springs fresh thyme
• 3-4 springs fresh rosemary
• 3-4 springs parsley

For Turkey Rub:

• 2 tbsp grass-fed butter, melted
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme

Toppings:

• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• fresh rosemary

DIRECTIONS

• STEP 1. Make sure to defrost the turkey. Most turkeys are frozen and you can leave them in the fridge for 3 days to defrost. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 2 hours before cooking to allow it to be closer to room temperature. Remove the giblets from inside the the turkey. You can save them and make turkey soup the next day. It is my favorite! Wash the turkey and pat dry with paper towel.
• STEP 2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
• STEP 3. Rub a little bit of sea salt and pepper on the inside and outside of the turkey.

• STEP 4. Mix all of the ingredients for the turkey rub in a glass bowl. Separate the skin from the breast meat with your fingers, starting at the top of the breast and sliding to the right and left, then working down. Massage the turkey rub onto the meat and under the skin.

• STEP 5. Put the sliced lemon, 2 shallots, garlic, rosemary, parsley and thyme into the main cavity of the turkey. Tie the legs of the turkey to ensure that everything remains inside.
• STEP 6. Dust the inside of the oven bag with flour in order not to burst. Carefully slide turkey in the oven bag and place in a roasting pan. Arrange the carrots, shallots and potatoes around the turkey.
• STEP 7. Close oven bag with the included nylon tie and make 6 slits with a knife at the top.
• STEP 8. Roast the turkey for 3.5 – 4.5 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh pops out.

• STEP 9. Transfer turkey to a serving platter, and arrange the veggies around it. Cover loosely with foil for 20 minutes before carving.