The show’s star gets a little upgrade with sweet Pink Lady apples and earthy sage. Here is how to prepare the perfect Roast Turkey with Apple and Sage.
Serves 8 to 10
Prep time: 30 minutes
Inactive cook time: 1 hour
Cook time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 (14 to 15-pound) turkey (brined – see procedure below)
10 fresh sage leaves
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
one orange, halved
a lemon, halved
one head of garlic, ends trimmed.
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 medium red onions, peeled and quartered
3 medium Pink Lady apples, cored and halved
Procedure
Preheat oven to 500˚F. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Discard giblets, but reserve the neck. Rinse turkey (including cavity) and pat dry. Carefully separate the skin and slide the sage leaves underneath. Brush the turkey with melted butter and season generously with salt and pepper (including the cavity). Squeeze one half of the lemon and orange over the turkey and put the other halves inside the cavity with the garlic.
Place the turkey in a large roasting pan with a rack and roast until the skin turns golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce temperature to 350˚F. Place the neck, onions, and apples in a bowl, coat with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a roasting pan around the turkey. Return to oven and baste with pan drippings every 30 minutes.
Roast turkey until the internal temperature of the inner thigh reads 160˚F. Remove from the oven, place the turkey on the cutting board, and rest, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes. Remove the apples and the onions to a serving platter. Carve the turkey and arrange it on the serving platter.
If you liked our Roast Turkey with Apple and Sage, check out:
Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna
Herb and Citrus Roasted Organic Fresh Turkey with Homemade Fresh Herb Gravy
