Ingredients

• 10–14 lb turkey, giblets and neck removed, at room temperature for 1 hour 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper 
• 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 1 tsp rosemary 
• 1 tsp sage leaves 
• 1 tsp thyme leaves 
• 1 medium onion, quartered 
• 1 orange, quartered 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Rub bird inside and out with salt and pepper. Place turkey on the rack in the pan.
3. Using a fork, mix butter, rosemary, sage, and thyme in a small bowl. Rub herb butter over top of turkey and inside cavity.
4. Place onion and orange inside turkey cavity. Pour 4 cups (approx) water into pan.
5. Roast turkey, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Baste turkey with pan juices; add more water if needed to maintain at least 1/4″ liquid in the bottom of roasting pan.
7. Continue roasting turkey, basting every 30 minutes and tenting with foil if skin is turning too dark, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165° (juices should run clear when thermometer is removed), about 2.5 – 2.75 hours total.
8. Transfer turkey to a platter. Tent with foil and let rest for 1 hour before carving.

Note:

Regarding cooking time, I’ve done turkeys ranging from 12 lb to 18 lb with this recipe and while you would expect the larger the turkey, the longer the time, that hasn’t really been my experience. The high heat for 30 minutes dramatically reduces the cooking time versus the traditional method. At 350, an 18 lb turkey would be close to 4 hours. With this recipe, it’s still just 2.5 – 2.75 hours.