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1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve
for making gravy.
2. Fasten neck skin to turkey
back with 1 to 2 skewers. With breast side up, fold wings under back
of turkey so they stay in place.
3. Place celery, onion, and
parsley in body cavity. Close by folding skin over opening; skewer
closed if necessary. Depending on brand of turkey, with string, tie
legs and tail together, or push drumsticks under band of skin, or
use stuffing clamp.
4. Place turkey, breast side
up, on rack in large roasting pan (17-inches by 11 1/2-inches). Rub
turkey all over with salt, pepper, and thyme. Insert meat
thermometer into thickest part of thigh next to body, being careful
that pointed end of thermometer does not touch bone. Cover turkey
with loose tent of foil, letting top of thermometer poke through.
Roast turkey about 3 3/4 hours; start checking for doneness during
last hour of roasting.
5. While turkey is roasting,
prepare giblet broth for Giblet Gravy.
6. To brown turkey, remove
foil during last hour of roasting time and, baste with pan drippings
occasionally. Turkey is done when thigh temperature on meat
thermometer reaches 175 to 180 degrees F. (Upon standing,
temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees.)
7. When turkey is done, place
on large platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Complete Giblet
Gravy.
8. To serve, garnish platter
with fresh herbs. Serve with gravy. Remove skin from turkey before
eating if you like.
Tips:
If you stuff your
turkey, make sure the stuffing temperature reaches 165 degrees F on
a meat thermometer to be safe. Also, you will need to roast the
turkey about 30 minutes longer.
If using a frozen
turkey, make sure it is completely thawed, especially inside
the cavity. The rule of thumb for thawing turkey in the refrigerator
is 24 hours per 5 pounds.
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