Nutrition Skinny™

(Time: Dependent on Weight - See Below)

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Directions
This recipe will create a turkey that will rival a deep-fried one for taste, only without all the danger created by the deep-fryers.  Here are the steps involved:

Remove the fresh turkey, NOT frozen (don’t EVER buy a frozen turkey!!) from the refrigerator two hours before it’s to be cooked;

Remove and reserve the giblets and neck from the turkey cavities;

Rinse the turkey thoroughly, both inside and out, under cold water and, without blotting it dry, put it breast side up on a V-shape rack that’s set at its lowest slot in the roasting pan, and drape a clean tea towel over the turkey to keep it from drying out while it’s warming;

Put the giblets and neck in a saucepan, add six cups of water (or chicken stock) and let them simmer an hour, or until the liquid is reduced to four cups;

Put the oven rack at its lowest level;

Heat the oven to 500⁰ half-an-hour before beginning cooking the turkey (figure on eight minutes per pound…we’ll use a 15 pound turkey for our example, so 15x8=120 minutes, or 2 hours to cook the turkey);

After the turkey has warmed for two hours, remove the tea towel (DO NOT season, stuff, truss, or skewer the turkey), and spread the drumsticks as far apart as possible without breaking the skin;

Cover the ends of the drumsticks and the wings (basically, the parts without any meat on them) with aluminum foil (this is for esthetic value only…if you don’t use the foil the ends will blacken and fall off, but the taste of the turkey will not be affected in any way);

Place the turkey in the oven with the drumsticks toward the door (if possible), and let it cook UNDISTURBED for 30-40 minutes…DON’T EVEN OPEN the oven door during this time;

Using the oven window, watch for the turkey becoming evenly browned (if you must open the door to see this DON’T do it until AT LEAST 30 minutes have gone by), once it’s browned evenly to your liking, open the oven door and cover the entire turkey with a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil to keep it from browning further and ruining the turkey;

When you’ve opened the door, if the oven is smoking or the fat is spitting, pour a cup of tepid water into the roasting pan (turn on the exhaust fan or, if necessary, open a window to clear the kitchen of smoke), DO NOT BASTE;

After 100 minutes, or 1 hour and 40 minutes (using our 15 pound turkey example), remove the roasting pan from the oven and check the turkey’s temperature by putting a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh to ensure it reads between 165⁰ to 170⁰ (if it doesn’t put the turkey back in the oven for another five minutes), the reason for taking it out after 100 minutes is because at the high heat it’s being cooked, the turkey will continue to cook outside the oven for another 20 minutes – 100+20=120 minutes, and its temperature should at the end of 120 minutes register 170⁰ to 180⁰);

Let the turkey rest on its rack for an additional 10 minutes before transferring it to a serving platter for carving.

Enjoy!!!!

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Nutrition per serving
Since Holiday meals consist of more than just a "main-dish," I've opted not to try to segment nutrition information specific to just the turkey since I don't want anyone to see that as applying to the entire meal.  However, if you'd like to try this recipe but have specific dietary requirements (e.g. low sodium) please contact me and I'll try to help you out.