Herb Roasted Turkey with Roasted Apples & Root Vegetables

By Dglmedia

Herb Roasted Turkey with Roasted Apples & Root Vegetables is a crowd pleaser for any Thanksgiving feast! Grab your favorite drinks and dig in!

Ingredients

• Crisco® Olive Oil No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1 (10 to 14 pound) whole turkey, thawed if frozen, giblets removed
• 1/2 cup Crisco® 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, crushed
• 3 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 6 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 large red cooking apples, such as Gala
• 3/4 cup pecan halves (optional)

Details

Servings 10
Preparation time 40mins
Cooking time 250mins
Adapted from crisco.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oven to 325°F. Coat roasting pan with olive oil no-stick cooking spray.

Rinse turkey with cold water. Pat dry. Place breast side up in prepared pan. Whisk olive oil with thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, garlic powder, pepper and paprika in small bowl until blended. Reserve 1/4 cup olive oil mixture for vegetables and 1 tablespoon to brush turkey after roasting. Brush turkey with remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil mixture, discarding any not used.

Roast the turkey about 3 to 3 1/2 hours or as recommended on turkey wrapper. Insert meat thermometer in thickest part of the breast. Roast until temperature reaches 165°F. Begin preparing vegetables about 30 minutes before turkey will be done.

Combine the sweet potatoes and parsnips in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes. Stir; cover. Microwave on HIGH an additional 5 minutes.

Coat 2 (15x10-inch) baking pans with olive oil no-stick cooking spray. Stir reserved 1/4 cup olive oil mixture, brown sugar and 1 teaspoon salt with hot vegetables until evenly coated. Core unpeeled apples and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, then cut in half cross-wise. Add apples and pecans to vegetables. Toss to coat. Layer evenly on prepared baking pans.

Remove the turkey from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Brush turkey with reserved 1 tablespoon olive oil mixture. Let turkey rest 20 minutes. Roast vegetables 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Place turkey in center of large serving platter. Arrange roasted vegetables around turkey. Serve with pan drippings, if desired.

Using the process of “brining” in preparing the turkey will yield a more moist, flavorful roast turkey. To brine turkey, dissolve 1 cup kosher salt (or ½ cup non-iodized table salt) in 2 gallons water in food-grade plastic, stainless steel or glass container. Place turkey (completely thawed if frozen, giblets removed) in brine, making sure it is totally submerged. Cover. Refrigerate overnight, keeping the turkey below 40°F. Drain turkey, discarding brine. Rinse and pat dry. Roast as directed in recipe.