Oven Roasted Turkey With Sage Butter - Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• 1 (12-14 lb)  fresh whole turkey

• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil, to coat

2 Sticks SAGE BUTTER

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup chopped sage
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and remove the top rack of the oven.

2. 2

   Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper.

3. 3

   Stuff the cavity with stuffing and, if required, truss the legs. Cover the turkey with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Push the sage butter under the skin of the turkey, being careful not to puncture the skin.

4. 4

   SAGE BUTTER: combine 2 sticks softened butter, sage and salt & pepper.

5. 5

   Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, and into the oven. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F. The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about 3 hours total (15 minutes per pound). If the legs or breast brown too quickly during roasting, cover them with foil.