Ingredients:
- 1 fresh turkey, about 14 to 16 pounds, at room temperature
- 1 apple, quartered
- 1 onion, halved
- 3 stalks celery, cut in half
- 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus extra for garnish
- Salt, to taste
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup water
- Lady apples, for garnish (optional)
Serves 14 to 16
There's no mystery to roasting a moist turkey. This golden bird couldn't be easier--the maple syrup adds a beautiful burnished glaze.
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavity. Wash and dry turkey.
2. Stuff turkey cavity with apple, onion, celery, and rosemary; sprinkle cavity with salt. Truss bird; sprinkle generously with salt. Place on V-rack in large, heavy roasting pan. 3. In a small saucepan, warm butter and maple syrup over low heat until butter melts. Pour mixture over turkey, coating as much of the bird as you can. Add 1 cup water to bottom of roasting pan. 4. Roast turkey 10 to 12 minutes for each pound. Baste with pan juices every 20 minutes. Tent turkey with foil if skin becomes too brown. Turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180° F. Breast meat should reach 170° F. Transfer turkey to cutting board. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. If desired, garnish turkey platter with rosemary sprigs and lady apples.
Tip: For big roasts, a meat thermometer is important to determine doneness. The pop-up thermometers that come with turkeys are unreliable.
Debbie Says: Clyde's brother, God rest his soul, sent us maple syrup from Vermont every year for Christmas.
Recipe from "
Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook."