Roast Turkey

Dad's Recipe


Ingredients:

• 20 - 25 pound turkey
• 5 pounds of onions
• 2 pounds of carrots
• 1 bunch of celery
• 1 bunch of parsley
• lemons
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 stick butter

Instructions:

1. Thaw turkey, remove bag of giblets from the turkey cavity.  Check both cavities. 
2. Wash turkey according to package directions.
3. Insert pats of butter under the breast skin.
4. Stuff turkey with quarter sections of onion, large pieces of carrots and celery in equal amounts, and some lemon.  Remember to stuff both cavities.
5. Rub turkey with soy sauce and sprinkle with ground pepper.
6. Cut remaining onions, carrots and celery into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces and place them in the roasting pan as a bed for the turkey.
7. Remove the parsley stems and rough chop the tops.  Add this to the veggies in the pan.  
8. Place the turkey neck and giblets except the liver around the edges of the pan.
9. Place the turkey breast side up on the bed of veggies in the pan.
10. Roast turkey at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.
11. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees and continue roasting the turkey for another hour.  
12. Remove the turkey from the oven and turn breast side down.
13. Return turkey to the oven at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
14. Remove turkey from the oven and turn breast side up.  
15. Ladle juices from pan over the turkey.  Return to 325 degree oven.
16. Periodically, ladle juices over turkey as it roasts.  If the skin gets too dark, tent with foil.
17. Using an meat thermometer, roast until the temperature of the breast and thigh reach 170 degrees.
18. Remove turkey from oven and roasting pan to cutting board.  Allow to rest at least 15 minutes before carving.  Cover turkey loosely with foil while it rests.
19. Strain pan juices, discarding vegetables and fat.  Use the strained juices to make gravy..