TASTY TUESDAY

We hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving this year. Kylie spent hers with family in California, Megan spent hers with family in Idaho, and I spent mine with friends in Hawaii. I hope you ate lots of delicious turkey, whether sweet or savory. I decided to cook a turkey for the second time ever this year, and loved how it turned out.  I found a recipe on food network and made it work with what I had. This would be a perfect Christmas turkey for the upcoming holiday as well. The aromatics were delicious and made my tiny apartment smell like heaven. And not to mention, the presentation was pretty.

Ingredients

1, 12-13 pound turkey

1 turkey bag with special zip tie

1 turkey roasting pan

Splash of flour

Cube of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

2 red delicious apples

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

2 cinnamon sticks

1 cup water

4 sprigs rosemary, plus a few

6 sage leaves, plus a few

*I chose to cook my turkey in a turkey bag solely because they always seem to come out more moist this way and full of flavor. Basically you are steaming your turkey. But baking is great and just as delicious.

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and be sure to have a sanitary station to work with (I used my disinfected counter top and a cookie sheet)
2. Remove thawed turkey from refrigerator (3-4 days defrosting for this size),  cut from bag, rinse in sink and drain of icky blood
3. Place turkey on cookie sheet breast side up (hole facing you)
4. In a microwave safe bowl, mix 1 sliced red delicious apple, 1/2 yellow onion, 2 cinnamon sticks, and 1 cup water and heat on high for 5 minutes
5. Remove bowl from microwave and pour mixture in the opening of the turkey, breast side up
6. Add 4 sprigs rosemary and 6 sage leaves into the opening
7. Generously butter the entire outside of the turkey and under thin layer of skin, don't have to use the whole cube, just cut off a reasonable sized chunk (or use canola oil)
8. Take a few rosemary springs and a few sage leaves and chop them finely
9. Put the chopped seasonings under the thin layer of skin on top of the turkey, to better enhance the flavor when baking
10. Add salt and pepper to taste
11. Take turkey bag and add a splash of flour to the inside, shake to coat the entire inside of bag
12. Carefully grab turkey from cookie sheet and slide into turkey bag, seal with special zip tie
13. Place turkey in roasting pan and bake at 350 for 2 1/2 hours.
14. Remove turkey from oven and check with thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the thigh has reached 180 degrees
15. Place on a pretty serving dish and decorate with sprigs of rosemary, sage leaves, and fresh sliced apple
16. Let turkey cool for 15 minutes before carving
17. Enjoy!