Love your bird.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

Love your turkey. It gave its all for you and deserves some respect. Hugs and kisses for the hog, too.


Wash bird, remove giblets, stuff with tart apples, citrus, onions and shallots. close and tie openings and secure the wings and thighs so they don't flop out during cooking.
Drape bacon across the bird for maximum coverage, using toothpicks (or, as in the above pic, rosemary sprigs) to secure the bacon.
Bed the turkey in the pan on root vegetables and vegetable trimmings like celery tops, carrot ends, etc. This is all just flavor-makings, although the root vegetables and taters are probably awesome so don't discard those. Just a few of these can transform mashed potatoes.
Bird in the preheated 350 degree over for approximately 20 minutes per pound. Baste every 15-30 minutes from the pan. A meat thermometer on the inside of the thigh should temp 165 degrees before removing the bird from the oven and letting it stand, foiled over, for 15 minutes.
Your pan stock and brown bits are the basis for a truly stunning gravy.

May your bird be free-range, your yams organic, your breads and cheeses local, your herbs from your own back yard, and your laughter genuine. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

[Kali]

1. wow that looks tasty

been stocking up on free/cheap birds on special every time I hit the store, so while they aren't organic or remotely free range, the bacon and rosemary and veg bed sound YUMMY!

will do that to the next one I roast.

[Capn Sunshine]

3. I do the same thing

Thanksgiving is at Daughter #1's house but I've got three 11+ lbs turkeys in the freezer.
Average price 7.00

[guitar man]

2. That looks fabulous!

I've got to remember to drape it in bacon next year :P

I'm just doing a breast on the smoker this year, this was how it looked about an hour ago