Brined Turkey With Fall Vegetables

By á-174942

Ingredients

• 1 fresh turkey - (abt 16 lbs) brined in a brining
• bag with brine blend for 6 to 24 hours
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter - (1 1/2 sticks) melted
• 2 yellow onions cut into eighths
• 6 carrots peeled, and cut into 2" lengths
• 4 parsnips peeled, and cut into 2" lengths
• 1 large acorn squash halved, seeded, and cut into 1" pieces
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Remove the turkey from the brining bag, rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a flat rack in a large roasting pan. Let stand at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and 8 tablespoons of the butter. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the onions, carrots, parsnips, squash, the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

Roast the turkey for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and roast for 45 minutes more, then begin basting the turkey every 30 minutes with the maple butter. After 2 1/2 hours of total roasting time, place the vegetables on the roasting rack. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone, registers 165 degrees and the thigh registers 175 degrees. Total roasting time should be 3 to 3 3/4 hours.

Transfer the turkey to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue roasting the vegetables until tender. Mix the vegetables with the pan drippings and transfer to a serving dish. Carve the turkey and pass the vegetables alongside.

This recipe yields 12 to 16 servings.