Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey
- 11 lb. whole turkey, (completely thawed)
- 6-7 fresh sage leaves, rough chopped
- 5-6 fresh thyme stems
- 2-3 springs of rosemary
- 3 springs of oregano
- 1½ cups of mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons pepper
- 3 stalks celery, rough chopped
- 1 large onion, rough chopped
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, salted
- (adjusts all seasonings & mayonnaise as needed for size of bird)
*You
can usually find a small "poultry seasoning herb" container with
exactly the right amount the sage, thyme and rosemary instead of buying a
ton of each. If your grocer has them they will be next to the fresh
herbs and produce
Instructions (for step by step instructions with images, view original recipe here)
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Lay turkey in a roasting pan (the disposable type works fine for us)
- Remove leaves from herbs stems. Add sage, thyme, rosemary, and oregano to mayonnaise; combine well. Rub mayonnaise/herb mixture all over outside and interior of bird.
- Liberally salt, and pepper turkey. Add the celery, and onion, inside and out, and tuck the butter in the cavity.
- Roast turkey in 450°F oven for 30 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350°F, and insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful not to touch bone. Continue roasting, uncovered, until internal thermometer reaches 160°F. Cover legs with foil partway through roasting if desired (which we didn't worry about and it came out perfect). Depending on size of turkey, total cook time will be around 1½-2 hours. Once the thermometer reaches 160°F in the thigh, check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast to make sure it reads 160°F as well.
- Remove from oven. Cover with foil and let rest for at least 20-30 minutes (depending on size) before carving.
- Set aside turkey drippings and juices for gravy.
***Our turkey was just under 11 pounds. We cooked it 30 minutes on 450 and then about 1½ hours on 350***
You are going to love it. The pic below is how ours came out!
