Christmas Turkey

Kevin made this turkey for Christmas last year, and is going to again this year. It is soooo delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic
• 4 tbs chopped fresh sage
• 4 tbs chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tbs coarse salt
• 1 (14-16 lb) Fresh or completely thawed turkey
• 4 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
• 4 tbs chopped fresh parsley
• 1 lb unsalted butter - room temp
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup water

Instructions:

• Preaheat oven to 350. Wrap garlic in foil, and bake for 1 hour, until very soft. This can be done a day or two ahead of time
• In a small bowl, mix rosemary, sage, parsley, and thyme with butter. Squeeze the cooled, softened garlic head into the bowl. Stir until smooth. Add salt and pepper.
• Preheat roaster to 400. Rinse turkey, pat it dry with paper towels
• Tuck the wing tips under the bird. Place the turkey on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Add water to the pan
• Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the flesh. Smear about 1/3 of the butter mixture under the skin.
• Pat the remaining butter mixture on the exterior and the cavity
• Roast for about 40-50 minutes
• Place foil tan over the turkey, and reduce temp to 350 degrees
• Baste with juices or additional butter while roasting turkey additional 2-3 hours, until it reaches temp of 180 internally. Legs should rotate easily at the joint.
• Allow to rest 30 minutes before carving. Save juices to make gravy.